Hubble Space Telescope: Exploring The Cosmos And Making Life Better On Earth

Hubble image of the Carina Nebula circa 2010: Towers of cool hydrogen laced with dust rise from the wall of the nebula. The image captures the top of a three-light-year-tall yellow and orange pillar of gas and dust that is being eaten away by the brilliant light from nearby bright stars. Credit: NASA

Hubble Space Telescope: Exploring the Cosmos and Making Life Better on Earth

In the 35 years since its launch aboard space shuttle Discovery, the Hubble Space Telescope has provided stunning views of galaxies millions of light years away. But the leaps in technology needed for its look into space has also provided benefits on the ground. Here are some of the technologies developed for Hubble that have improved life on Earth.

Facing away from us, a doctor wearing a white coat looks at a computer monitor showing medical imagery in front of a large scanner with a woman lying on top of it. The room is lit with blue light, while the scanner has a warm yellow light underneath it. Credit: LORAD Corporation

Image Sensors Find Cancer

Charge-coupled device (CCD) sensors have been used in digital photography for decades, but Hubble’s Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph required a far more sensitive CCD. This development resulted in improved image sensors for mammogram machines, helping doctors find and treat breast cancer.

An astronaut moves a large piece of the Hubble Space Telescope into the space shuttle’s cargo bay during the first Hubble servicing mission in 1993. Credit: NASA

Laser Vision Gives Insights

In preparation for a repair mission to fix Hubble’s misshapen mirror, Goddard Space Flight Center required a way to accurately measure replacement parts. This resulted in a tool to detect mirror defects, which has since been used to develop a commercial 3D imaging system and a package detection device now used by all major shipping companies.

A computer monitor shows a hospital schedule with names, dates, and procedures clearly visible. Credit: Allocade Inc.

Optimized Hospital Scheduling

A computer scientist who helped design software for scheduling Hubble’s observations adapted it to assist with scheduling medical procedures. This software helps hospitals optimize constantly changing schedules for medical imaging and keep the high pace of emergency rooms going.

A man in a green shirt and yellow apron holding a tablet looks at paint swatch cards in a store aisle. Credit: Getty Images

Optical Filters Match Wavelengths and Paint Swatches

For Hubble’s main cameras to capture high-quality images of stars and galaxies, each of its filters had to block all but a specific range of wavelengths of light. The filters needed to capture the best data possible but also fit on one optical element. A company contracted to construct these filters used its experience on this project to create filters used in paint-matching devices for hardware stores, with multiple wavelengths evaluated by a single lens.

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An animated artist’s rendition of the space shuttle Atlantis releasing the Hubble Space Telescope away from its robotic manipulator arm in orbit. Credit: NASA

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25% Of The People Have A 4th Cone And See Colors As They Are

25% of the people have a 4th cone and see colors as they are

Given the sudden interest for the color of dresses and vision, here some of the fascinating findings we did recently.

The color nuances we see depend on the number and distribution of cones (=color receptors) in our eye. You can check this rainbow: how many color nuances do you count?

You see less than 20 color nuances: you are a dichromats, like dogs, which means you have 2 types of cones only. You are likely to wear black, beige, and blue. 25% of the population is dichromat.

You see between 20 and 32 color nuances: you are a trichromat, you have 3 types of cones (in the purple/blue, green and red area). You enjoy different colors as you can appreciate them. 50% of the population is trichromat.

You see between 33 and 39 colors: you are a tetrachromat, like bees, and have 4 types of cones (in the purple/blue, green, red plus yellow area). You are irritated by yellow, so this color will be nowhere to be found in your wardrobe. 25% of the population is tetrachromat.

You see more than 39 color nuances: come on, you are making up things! there are only 39 different colors in the test and probably only 35 are properly translated by your computer screen anyway :)

It is highly probable that people who have an additional 4th cone do not get tricked by blue/black or white/gold dresses, no matter the background light ;)

(x)


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3sbeee - Esbee 🌌
Esbee 🌌

I might post art or something once a millennia || pfp by qc-wigglesVast aligned (I love space)She/her

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