Click to watch an artist's animation of the delicate capture procedure.
Step C: Caputring the telescope.

     Before the astronauts can service the Hubble Space Telescope, they must "capture" it by using the shuttle arm. Both the shuttle and the telescope must be precisely positioned for the capture to proceed without risk of damaging the telescope. Once secured on the arm, the telescope can be maneuvered into the shuttle's cargo bay for servicing. These delicate procedures take hours of practice on Earth before the mission flight.

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