When NASA launched the Hubble Space Telescope in April 1990, nobody knew it had a major flaw—that is, until its first images came back. As it turned out, the telescope’s primary mirror had been ground to the wrong shape by two micrometers, less than the width of a human hair. The tiny imperfection made a world of difference. The first images—promised to be 10 times sharper than any ground-based observatory could capture—came back blurry. 

But luckily, unlike any of its predecessors, Hubble wasn’t designed to be launched and then left alone. NASA had always intended it to be repaired and maintained in space. So in 1993, astronauts aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavor embarked upon the first “servicing mission” to the space telescope, installing corrective optics to counteract the flaw in the mirror. 

Between 1993 and 2009, NASA astronauts made a total of five servicing missions to maintain Hubble, replacing gyroscopes, upgrading cameras and swapping out instruments. Every iconic Hubble image you’ve ever seen, from the Crab Nebula to the Pillars of Creation, was made possible by those missions. They’ve also drastically extended the telescope’s lifespan. While Hubble was initially estimated to last about 15 years, it celebrated its 36th birthday this April and shows no signs of slowing down. Of course, the servicing missions never made the news the way the initial launch did. But without them, Hubble’s decades of discovery would never have been possible.

For your schools, the summer months are a great opportunity for your own servicing mission. Maybe, like Hubble in its first few years, your district needs a major vision adjustment. Maybe your strategy just needs a few slight repairs. This maintenance work isn’t flashy, and it probably won’t make headlines—but it’s a crucial part of building a district that will stay successful for decades into the future.

A new Hubble image of spiral galaxy Messier 88, released by NASA May 29, 2026. (ESA/Hubble)