Hubble’s Mirror Was Almost Perfect — And Still Wrong

Hubble reached orbit with a remarkably precise mirror that had been shaped against a faulty test reference. Follow the diagnosis, the difference between COSTAR and WFPC2, and the servicing mission that corrected the light path while leaving the primary mirror in place. Original illustrated explanation and AI-assisted narration. CHAPTERS 0:00 A precise mistake 0:17 Two instruments, one warning 0:58 Where the light goes 1:30 The test that misled the work 2:01 The flaw that could be understood 2:34 Two routes to correction 3:04 A repair designed into the mission 3:36 The light returns to focus 4:03 The measuring standard SOURCES NASA — Hubble’s Mirror Flaw: https://science.nasa.gov/mission/hubb... NASA — A Brief History of the Hubble Space Telescope: https://www.nasa.gov/history/hubble/ JPL — The Camera That Saved Hubble: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/the-cam... NASA history — The Hubble Space Telescope Servicing Mission: https://www.nasa.gov/history/SP-4219/... JPL — Hubble Adjustments and Tests Completed: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/hubble-... Watch next:    • The Warning Behind NASA’s Lost Mars Probe ...