On July 24th, NASA employees at Florida’s Kennedy Space Center accompanied Atlantis on its rollover from the Orbiter Processing Facility to the Vehicle Assembly Building. During its upcoming 11-day mission, the STS-115 crew will resume construction of the International Space Station. Image credit: NASA / Jim Grossmann

After the Shuttle Discovery’s successful 13-day mission to the ISS, a burning question is back on the minds of many: does NASA plan to service the ailing Hubble Space Telescope?

As I’ve touched on previously, the chances of a Hubble servicing mission coming to fruition look much better in the present climate than the recent past. Perhaps even moreso now, after obtaining good results from the improved external tank design, as well as the successful implementation of additional safety and in-flight repair techniques.

Prudence still dictates cautious optimism, although I confess feeling even more encouraged about the prospect with the appearance of sustained momentum — not to mention the memory of Mark Kelly’s picture-perfect landing fresh in mind.

A sampling of recent news articles yields the following…

Baltimore Sun (July 18th):

Although the space shuttle Discovery’s mission concluded with a safe landing yesterday, NASA Administrator Michael Griffin said he will need until fall to decide whether to authorize another shuttle servicing mission to extend the life of the Hubble Space Telescope. “No one wants to do a Hubble flight more than I,” Griffin said yesterday when reminded of his promise last year to authorize a Hubble mission if NASA could complete two safe shuttle flights in the wake of the fatal 2003 Columbia accident.

USA Today (July 18th):

The first shuttle mission to add a new section to the station is scheduled to launch between Aug. 27 and Sept. 7, followed by another mission in mid-December. Shuttle launch director Michael Leinbach said NASA will probably meet those target dates.

Also more likely is a mission to rehabilitate the Hubble, which will shut down in a few years unless it gets some service by a shuttle crew. Griffin will decide this fall on a Hubble visit after reviewing data from the two post-Columbia shuttle flights. He said nothing about Discovery’s latest flight would lead him to rule out a Hubble mission.

Boston Globe (July 21st):

The post-flight examination of the shuttle Discovery has yet to be completed, but by all initial accounts it weathered its voyage to the International Space Station well. This should make it more likely that NASA’s administrator, Michael D. Griffin, will decide this fall to use a future shuttle flight to repair the Hubble Space Telescope. The Hubble, a wondrous window into the universe, deserves such a priority.

Space.com (July 31st):

The shuttle Discovery’s near flawless STS-121 mission this month completed NASA’s return to flight effort and demonstrated that post-Columbia safety improvements appear to be effective.

But NASA chief Michael Griffin said mission managers and engineers must complete a thorough analysis of Discovery’s mission – and launch the upcoming STS-115 flight aboard Atlantis in late August – before deciding whether a Hubble spaceflight is safe to fly.

Also as of yesterday, nasaspaceflight.com’s John Copella reported details of a rescue scenario currently under evaluation at NASA for a Hubble servicing mission — being referred to as STS-125, though still unofficial. Assuming the information is accurate, it’s reassuring to know the particulars are already being scrutinized.

If the weather at the Cape cooperates overnight (after two unsuccessful attempts), the shuttle Atlantis should begin its four-mile-plus journey from the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center to Launch Pad 39B sometime after 2:00 a.m. tomorrow morning, in advance of STS-115’s launch window which opens August 27th.