FINAL MISSION TO REPAIR HUBBLE TELESCOPE LAUNCHES LIVE ON SCIENCE CHANNEL

-- Science Channel to Broadcast Exclusive Live Coverage and Commentary on Monday, May 11, 2009 at 1:30 PM (ET)--

(Silver Spring, Md.) � Science Channel will broadcast LIVE coverage of the fourth and final space shuttle mission to repair the Hubble Space Telescope with HUBBLE LIVE: THE FINAL MISSION airing Monday, May 11, 2009, at 1:30 PM (ET) / 10:30 AM (PT). The network will also encore the live broadcast in primetime at 9 PM (ET) following the premiere of the all-new special THE ENDS OF THE EARTH: HUBBLE'S FINAL CHAPTER at 8 PM (ET). *Live coverage contingent upon NASA's launch of the Shuttle Atlantis. Launch date and/or time subject to change.

Originating from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., Science Channel's live coverage of the launch of the Space Shuttle Atlantis, HUBBLE LIVE: THE FINAL MISSION, will feature in-depth, exclusive analysis from NASA astrophysicist and space telescope expert Dr. Kim Weaver and former NASA astronaut Paul William Richards. The one-hour special will also feature live NASA coverage from the launch site at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., and the Mission Control Center at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.

"Science Channel is the home for live coverage of defining moments in science like this mission to repair one of NASA's historically important space exploration tools," said Debbie Myers, Science Channel general manager. "No other network lends expert perspective to these important scientific moments, or can explain what each means to the lives of viewers quite like the Science Channel."

The astronauts are scheduled to install a Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3), a Cosmic Origins Spectograph (COS) and several other instruments � a level of repair never attempted before in space. If successful, the WFC3 will improve the telescope's sensitivity to visible, infrared and ultraviolet light by 10-30 times, and the COS will improve Hubble's sensitivity by ten times.

Since 1990 the Hubble Space Telescope has served as humanity's eye on the universe. The telescope has sent thousands of images back to Earth that have altered scientists' views of the cosmos and helped to answer important questions. THE ENDS OF THE EARTH: HUBBLE'S FINAL CHAPTER, premiering Monday, May 11 at 8 PM (ET) explores the telescope's rich history with interviews from NASA astronauts Mike Massimino and John Grunsfeld, members of the seven person crew assigned to repair Hubble, and with never-before-seen high-definition footage of the underwater training the crew undertook for more than one year.

HUBBLE LIVE: THE FINAL MISSION is produced by Science Channel, John Grassie is executive producer. ENDS OF THE EARTH: HUBBLE'S FINAL CHAPTER is produced by Dangerous Films. Richard Dale is executive producer for Dangerous Films and Jack Smith is executive producer for Science Channel.

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About Discovery Communications

Discovery Communications (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) is the world's number one nonfiction media company reaching more than 1.5 billion cumulative subscribers in 170 countries. Discovery empowers people to explore their world and satisfy their curiosity through 100-plus worldwide networks, led by Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, Science Channel, Planet Green, Investigation Discovery and HD Theater, as well as leading consumer and educational products and services, and a diversified portfolio of digital media services including HowStuffWorks.com. For more information, please visit www.discoverycommunications.com.