The exploration of outer space is one of the greatest achievements of mankind. With man's first steps into space and the moon, the future of Earth has been pushed onto new tracks. The first rockets designed for space travel, however, could only be used once, which resulted in increasing costs for the expeditions. It soon became clear that the successful conquest of space could not continue with the use of such costly technologies. In 1972, NASA, the American Space Agency began researching a reusable spacecraft. The result of the project was a combination of a rocket and an aircraft known as a space shuttle. The shuttle with a huge fuel tank can be launched into space thanks to the power of three own engines and two auxiliary rockets. By itself, the ferry reaches the dimensions of a medium-sized airliner, carrying a crew of around seven, most of all cargo. The space shuttle fleet has given us new opportunities to develop our activities in space. Satellites can be placed in orbit by space shuttles, as well as components of space stations that can be used in the future as starting points for further space exploration.
The Hubble Space Telescop (HST) is an orbiting space telescope that was launched in April 1990 as part of the STS-31 mission. The diameter of the telescope is 4.2 meters with a length of 13.2 meters. The total weight is 10,863 kilograms. The idea of placing a telescope in orbit around the Earth appeared as early as 1923, but it was only the rapid development of rocket technology after 1945 that allowed for serious consideration of the implementation of this idea. Moreover, in the 1970s, the program related to the placement of the Hubble Telescope was plagued by financial problems and delays. All this meant that it was not until 1990 that the telescope was put into orbit. What's more, it has only been fully operational since 1993 and provides photos of outer space of the originally assumed quality. Despite its many initial problems, the Hubble Space Telescope is an invaluable source of knowledge today and has contributed to a better understanding of many of the laws governing astrophysics. It is assumed that the Telescope will carry out its mission at least until 2020, and possibly until 2030.