Episode description

As NASA releases the James Webb Space Telescope's first images, we focus our lens on its predecessor: the Hubble Space Telescope. Prepare for liftoff, as we explore how America's first large space telescope went from a "billion-dollar blunder" to one of history's most important scientific instruments. 

Guests:
Samantha Thompson, curator of science and technology at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum 

Robert Smith, former space historian at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum; author, Hubble: Imaging Space and Time 

Jeffrey Hoffman, NASA astronaut who repaired Hubble in 1993 

Sandra Faber, professor of astronomy & astrophysics at University of California Observatories/Lick Observatory