4. Once in human history

The most experienced flight crew ever assembled is preparing for an unprecedented rescue mission. In the cargo bay of their shuttle are the instruments that could save Hubble and finally allow the crippled telescope to fulfil its promise.

But this will be unlike any mission NASA has attempted before. The astronauts will spend days working in the vacuum of space, carrying out delicate repairs on a telescope millions of miles from Earth.

There is no room for error.

One wrong move could destroy Hubble for good. And if they fail, the consequences could go far beyond the telescope, it could spell the end of NASA.

Some scenes in this series use recreated sound effects.

13 Minutes: Trouble with Hubble is a BBC Audio Science Unit production for the BBC World Service.

Hosted by space scientist Maggie Aderin.

Theme music by Hans Zimmer and Christian Lundberg, and produced by Russell Emanuel, for Bleeding Fingers Music.

Archive: Mission audio and oral histories, Nasa History Office