CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The end is getting closer for NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, but this month's space shuttle mission will extend the telescope's life a few more years.

The space shuttle Atlantis is preparing to launch from Florida on Monday afternoon. The seven-member crew will spend 11 days with Hubble, installing new instruments and making repairs that will keep the telescope functioning through 2014.

Since the Hubble Telescope was launched in 1990, it has taken some of the most amazing pictures we have ever seen of our universe. During the past 19 years, Hubble has made more than 880,000 observations and snapped over 570,000 images of 29,000 celestial objects.

Hubble will eventually be replaced by the new James Webb Space Telescope. The new instrument will have the capability to photograph objects using infrared light. This will allow NASA to see even further into the vastness of space.

The forecast for Monday's space shuttle launch looks good - mostly sunny skies with highs in the mid 80s. The lauch of Atlantis is scheduled for 12:01 p.m. MDT.

A Peek at the Planets:
If you're looking for a unique gift for Mom this Mother's Day, get her a telescope! In the early morning on Mother's Day, you can see Jupiter and Saturn in opposite ends of the sky. Jupiter will be in the SE, while Saturn will be 160 degrees apart in the predawn sky. Venus will also be visible in the morning this month in the east. Mars will be to the lower left of Venus all month. The first of a triple conjunction with Jupiter and Neptune will occur in the morning on May 28.

For the evening viewers, look for Saturn high in the SSE to SW. The best view of Saturn's rings during 2009 will occur in the evening from May 10-17. Mercury will be low in the horizon in the WNW.

The Moon in Motion:

Full Moon: Saturday, May 9
Last Quarter: Sunday, May 17
New Moon: Sunday, May 24
First Quarter: Saturday, May 30

From the History Books:
On May 28, 1959 two monkeys became the first living beings to survive a trip to outer space. Able, a seven-pound female rhesus monkey, and Baker, a one-pound female squirrel monkey were launched from the Eastern Space Missile Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida on top of a Jupiter rocket to an altitude of 360 miles.