Once final modifications and testing were complete, the Hubble Space Telescope was shipped from Lockheed’s plant in Sunnyvale, California, through the Panama Canal, and to Kennedy Space Center where it was prepared for launch aboard the aptly named Discovery, as part of the space shuttle STS-31 mission launched on April 24, 1990. This photo shows Hubble being prepared for acoustic testing at Lockheed Martin’s Sunnyvale, California plant. Anytime something is launched to space, it is exposed to acoustic forces resulting from being launched on a spacecraft lifted to orbit by powerful engines. (N

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Keywords: 25th, anniversary, hubble, launch, nasa, rocket, space, telescope