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Final Journey to the Hubble Space Telescope

Mike Massimino SM’88, ME’90, Ph.D,92: October 28, 2009; Running Time: 1:04:50

About the Lecture

About the Lecture

Astronaut Mike Massimino returns to MIT and shares his experience on the Space Shuttle Atlantis (STS-125). Topics include the challenges of space walking while repairing the Hubble, having the right tools on hand for high stakes repairs, and the long hours of practice that lead up to the task.

Welcomed back to MIT by AeroAstro professor Dava Newman as the first astronaut to Twitter from space, Massimino provides funny, personal and insightful anecdotes from the mission including the competition amongst his team to be the last human to touch the Hubble.

Accompanying Massimino on the mission was a rare book loaned from the MIT Libraries’ collections. The book, a limited edition facsimile of Galileo’s landmark publication “Sidereius Nuncius” (Starry Messenger), was chosen to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo’s astronomical research, the first recorded planetary observations using a telescope.

He presents the well-traveled book to MIT Libraries Director Ann Wolpert. She happily accepts the undamaged book and waives any late fees. The book traveled 5.3 million miles, making 197 orbits of the earth. It is now on display in an exhibit at the MIT Science Library.

Lecture Details

Location: Killian Hall

“Riding the space shuttle is like strapping yourself to a gigantic beast…. I felt like some creature had grabbed me and was taking me somewhere and I had nothing to say about it. It was just the biggest rush of sheer power and acceleration. You go from 0 to 17,500 miles an hour in eight and a half minutes. So this thing has you, and it's going to take you, and thank goodness it knows where it's going.”

Mike Massimino

About the Speaker

Mike Massimino SM’88, ME’90, Ph.D,92

Astronaut

Upon completing his B.S. degree from Columbia University, Mike worked for IBM as a systems engineer. In 1986 he entered graduate school at the MIT where he conducted research on human operator control of space robotics systems in the MIT Mechanical Engineering Department’s Human-Machine Systems Laboratory. His work resulted in the awarding of two patents. After graduating from MIT in 1992, Mike worked at McDonnell Douglas Aerospace in Houston, Texas as a research engineer where he developed laptop computer displays to assist operators of the Space Shuttle remote manipulator system.

He is currently an adjunct professor at Rice University and at Georgia Tech.

Selected as an astronaut candidate by NASA in1996, and reported to the Johnson Space Center in August 1996. He completed two years of initial training and evaluation and is qualified for flight assignment as a mission specialist. Prior to his first space flight assignment, Mike served in the Astronaut Office Robotics Branch, and in the Astronaut Office Extravehicular Activity (EVA or spacewalking) Branch. In 2002, following his first spaceflight, Mike served as a CAPCOM (spacecraft communicator) in Mission Control and as the Astronaut Office Technical Liaison to the Johnson Space Center EVA Program Office.

A veteran of two space flights, (STS-109 in March 2002 and STS-125 in May 2009) Massimino has logged a total of 571 hours and 47 minutes in space, and a cumulative total of 30 hours and 4 minutes of spacewalking in four spacewalks.

In addition to various technical tasks, Massimino also serves as Chief of the Astronaut Appearances Office.