Hubble's troubles surprised shuttle crew
* Shuttle Atlantis due back in Florida on Friday
* Scientist laments loss of satellite repair capability
* Crew cutting power in case weather delays landing
* Rescue shuttle remains on standby
By Irene Klotz
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., May 20 (Reuters) - Years of training didn't prepare the shuttle Atlantis astronauts for the problems encountered during NASA's final servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope, the crew said on Wednesday.
With the refurbished telescope back in orbit, the seven shuttle astronauts took some time off and began preparing for Friday's homecoming at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
"It's amazing looking back at how hard things looked a couple of times -- more difficult than I ever expected -- and then to overcome and wind up with everything done in the way that it was. We were very successful," Atlantis commander Scott Altman told reporters during an in-flight news conference on Wednesday.
The crew conducted five spacewalks, fraught with unexpected problems, to outfit the 19-year-old Hubble with two new science instruments, fresh batteries, six positioning gyroscopes and other gear. Continued...
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