[music]
We the people own Hubble. It is a part of our culture and we treasure it. When
there was a possibility that this servicing mission might not happen there
was a huge outcry. Not just from the scientists but from the members of the
public themselves. People who are not scientists. They are the ones who wrote
letters and made phone calls and sent faxes to try to get that changed. Hubble
has revolutionized our understanding of the cosmos and they've given our
children a much clearer and newer view than we had when we were children. But
with this servicing mission we're going to be expanding our vision even further.
Giving all of our children a bigger and more fascinating universe to grow and
learn and wonder about.
[music]
So if I had to think of three words that I would use to characterize the legacy
of Hubble for all of us in the future. Those words would be vision, hope, and
triumph. You know Hubble is not just a machine, it's more than the telescope and
more than the cameras and the equipment. It's a vast network of people who
conceived and built and operate and appreciate this incredible tool. It's the
spacecraft builders. Not only the scientists, but the engineers, the
technicians, bureaucrats, politicians and everybody who worked together to make
couple a reality and to keep it a reality. They had to have vision. They had
to have hope and ultimately there was the triumph of seeing it come to
fruition. Astronomers from all around this globe use the telescope. Scientists
from everywhere have the hope of using this fabulous machine. It's a triumph of
Hubble that it can probe all aspects of science from the planets, to the cosmos,
to galaxies, to everything in between. Star formation, galaxy formation. The
tools on Hubble have given us the vision needed to study this. But these images
are transformed in our imaginations and they have captured the imagination of
kids all around the world.
[music]
Ordinary people love Hubble. The Hubble story resonates with people because it's
the story of humanity. It's a story of hope. It's story of darkness, darkness in
which we eventually triumph.
[music]
And of course the astronaut corps, not just the astronauts, but the support
staff, the shuttle engineers, thousands of individuals who contributed in myriad
ways to making this program a success. Their vision of a successful mission.
Their hope of complete accomplishment have led to many triumphs in the past
servicing missions. The efforts of all of these people culminate in the Atlantis mission.
[music]
The Hubble Space Telescope has already earned its place in history as a
triumph of science in our modern era. Yet there is more to see, more to learn, more
to ponder and more to wonder at. This mission will give Hubble the tools for a
marvelous swan song. One more opportunity to probe this vast universe and all that
lies within it. As a scientist, as a longtime user of Hubble, as a public
citizen and as a parent. I'm going to be watching this final mission with hope
for the future. I'll be marveling at the vision and triumph that Hubble
represents and I wish the shuttle crew a safe flight and a bon voyage.
[music]