Hubble Space Telescope: 35-Year Celebration
As part of a work perk, I was invited to the Hubble Space Telescope 35-year celebration at the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore, Maryland, located on the campus of Johns Hopkins University (JHU). This was a surprising treat for me because I didn’t anticipate receiving an invitation to this event. As someone relatively new to the institute, this invite-only event was more for senior-level people, but I somehow received an invite. There was no way I was going to miss it! I drove up to Baltimore that day (Thu. 4/24/25) feeling very good. It was definitely very special and a unique honor for me, given that I grew up with the Hubble.
As a young person, I first took astronomy class in the 7th grade. This was back in 2005 when I was 13 years old. I was a good student, but not an exceptionally talented student who always got very good grades. Astronomy was one of the subjects that I got an A in the class easily and I was very good at it. I really enjoyed learning about the stars, planets, galaxies, black holes, and other objects that make up our cosmic world. I distinctly remembered watching astronomy documentaries that my teacher would show us in class. The teacher would gather us around the T.V. and show old National Geographics and I believe Discovery or PBS documentaries about the universe. Those were unbelievably special times for me and it’s crazy to me that I would work in astronomy and space exploration one day. Never in a million years did I think I would be working as a NASA contractor at STScI, but it happened. Everything I saw in astronomy class as well as every important astronomy picture I’ve seen for the past three decades was from Hubble. In a way, I grew up with Hubble because Hubble has been in production longer than I’ve been alive. Hubble has been a source of inspiration for all my life and it’s so special for me to be at the celebration.
The celebration consisted of many people who’ve been working on Hubble since the beginning. A lot of the old guard from both STScI and JHU showed up to the celebration and it was really cool to see the legacy. The event was attended by the STScI director, a Nobel prize winner, and a former U.S. Senator from Maryland. The celebration started off with a presentation in a packed auditorium about Hubble’s past work as well as some of the latest images from Hubble taken more recently. I honestly can’t remember much from the presentation part of the celebration. I was sitting in the back of the auditorium just trying to soak it all in. However, there was an incredible video that STScI put out called Cosmic Wonders (click below) that showcases what Hubble has been observing for the past 35 years. Just an INCREDIBLE montage!
Afterwards, there was a celebration and reception in the STScI cafeteria. Here’s where it gets memorable and I will never forget these memories! The first is that the former U.S. Senator at the reception gave a fantastic speech that was truly unforgettable. Then during the reception, I had the audacity to introduce myself to the STScI director, the Nobel prize winner, and the former U.S. Senator. I shook everyone’s hands, except for the former U.S. Senator because she was busy holding onto something else. I introduced myself to the Senator right before leaving and I gave her a thumbs up. This was my first time ever meeting a U.S. Senator and it’s a truly special memory. I was really nervous to do what I did, given that I’m the lowest one on the totem pole at the reception; but I didn’t care and I did it anyway. Life is all about taking risks and sometimes you do what you have to do, even if you feel incredibly nervous! Having the audacity to introduce and express my gratitude to such luminaries was special for me and I hoped it made peoples’ days as much as it did mine. The setting, the history, the legacy and the people made this a once in a lifetime event for me. I felt super special and super lucky that I get to work supporting Hubble everyday. For how much longer, we shall see. However I’m confident that it’s all going to work out for me!
As said best by the Romans in latin: Ad Astra per Aspera. This translates to: to the stars through difficulties. No matter what difficulties we are facing we have to keep striving and keep going. Great things, such as reaching for the stars, may seem impossible. But we never know what we are capable of until we try!