Astronauts Bid a Fond Farewell to the Hubble

This morning, 350 miles above the Atlantic Ocean, a tender goodbye took place. Astronauts aboard the Atlantisspace shuttle released the Hubble Space Telescope to conclude the telescope's fifth and final repair mission. The better-than-new observatory is expected to send back breathtaking images and mind-rattling information about the universe for another five to seven years. As the NASA officials in charge of the telescope put it: