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This
photo shows STS-82 astronaut Scott Horowitz with
a multi-layer insulation (MLI) repair patch. During
the Second Servicing Mission, astronauts detected
damage to insulation on the outside of Hubble.
Astronauts working inside the shuttle created
repair patches with the materials they had on
hand. MLI covers 80 percent of Hubble's exterior.
This insulation, coupled with supplemental electric
heaters, maintains the temperature of the equipment
and optics within safe limits. If insulation deteriorates
or becomes damaged over time, the insulation must
be repaired or replaced to maintain the correct
temperature environment for the satellite.
In
space care must be taken to ensure that equipment
and systems do not become too cold or too hot.
Hubble's insulation blankets are 15 layers of
aluminized Kapton, with an outer layer of aluminized
Teflon. Aluminized or silvered, flexible reflector
tape covers most of the remaining exterior. These
coverings protect against the cold of space and
reflect excessive heat from the sun. Hubble is
thermally designed to maintain safe component
temperatures, even for worst-case conditions in
space.
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