	Introduction

NASA launched the Hubble Space Telescope in 1990 aboard the space shuttle Discovery . Following the space shuttle Columbia accident in February 2003, however, then-NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe decided not to proceed with either flight. A servicing mission is now scheduled for October 8, 2008. (See CRS Report RS21720, Space Exploration: Issues Concerning the " Vision for Space Exploration " . ) Although Mr. O'Keefe stated that the Hubble decision was based primarily on shuttle safety concerns, the timing of his announcement led many commentators to conclude that it was linked to the priority shifts required by the President's initiative. Shuttle Servicing Revisited

Dr. Michael Griffin was sworn in as NASA Administrator, replacing Mr. O'Keefe, on April 14, 2005. At his Senate confirmation hearing on April 12, 2005, Dr. Griffin stated that he would revisit the question of whether to use the shuttle to service Hubble after the second successful post- Columbia shuttle flight, at which time NASA would be able to assess the risk factors associated with "essentially a new vehicle". The second post- Columbia flight took place successfully in July 2006. In October 2006, NASA announced that a Hubble servicing mission will indeed take place.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) estimates that without a servicing mission to replace key components, the Hubble Space Telescope will cease scientific operations in 2008. In January 2004, then-NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe announced that the space shuttle would no longer be used to service Hubble. He indicated that this decision was based primarily on safety concerns in the wake of the space shuttle Columbia accident in 2003. Many critics, however, saw it as the result of the new Vision for Space Exploration, announced by President Bush in January 2004, which focuses NASA's priorities on human and robotic exploration of the solar system. Hubble supporters sought to reverse the decision and proceed with a shuttle servicing mission. Michael Griffin, who became NASA Administrator in April 2005, stated that he would reassess whether to use the shuttle to service Hubble after there were two successful post-Columbia shuttle flights. The second post-Columbia flight took place successfully in July 2006. In October 2006, NASA approved a shuttle mission to service Hubble. That mission is now scheduled for October 8, 2008.