National Aeronautics and Space Administration
The Hubble Space Telescope Optical Systems Failure Report
Report · written 1 November 1990 · released 1 November 1990
Why this matters
The investigation into why the $1.5 billion telescope launched with a primary mirror ground to the wrong shape. It traces the error to a misassembled test instrument, the null corrector, and to warning signs that contractor and NASA overseers dismissed. A short course in how quality assurance fails.
Read the original
https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/19910003124
Hosted by NASA Technical Reports Server
Tags
Part of a collection · step 2 of 11
Failed Procurement Programs
A $1.5 billion mirror ground to the wrong shape, and the test results that were waved away.
Part of a collection · step 6 of 8
Space Program Post-Mortems
1990: the wrong mirror.
Cite
National Aeronautics and Space Administration. "The Hubble Space Telescope Optical Systems Failure Report." 1 November 1990. Released 1 November 1990. https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/19910003124 (accessed via The Quiet Archive, QA-0042).
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