A Brief History of the Hubble Space Telescope

The Final Act
The Hubble is expected to go out of service some time around 2014, 24 years after its launch. By then a replacement, the James Webb Space Telescope, is scheduled to be in place. The Webb telescope's infrared images will let scientists study regions of the universe more distant than what the Hubble can reach. Once its life is over the Hubble may be retrieved from space, or guided to a final splashdown in the ocean.

• Animals in Space