NASA's Do-Or-Die Mission

The beleaguered agency goes for broke with a risky flight to repair the Hubble telescope

As an astronaut for the past 26 years, Dr. Story Musgrave has learned to handle pressure and danger. He knows what it's like to sit atop a 4.5 million- lb. space shuttle as its three main engines roar to life. He remembers well that when the eight steel bolts that attach the rocket boosters to the launching pad are blown away, there's no turning back. He has felt the crushing sensation as 6 million lbs. of thrust hurl him into orbit. And he knows how sublime and scary it is to float freely in space, tethered to the ship by only...

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