The final mission to the Hubble Space Telescope successfully launched Monday with scores of tools on board to repair the aging space observatory.

Utah's ATK built the rockets that launched the shuttle into space, and also designed more than 100 tools specially adapted to make repairs in space that NASA hadn't planned doing while in orbit.

The majority of tools to be used by space-walking astronauts did not exist five years ago.

"Recently, due to some failures of instruments on board, we've had to design tools that fix things that weren't anticipated to ever need to be fixed in space," said Justin Cassidy, the lead systems engineer for Crew Aids and Tools at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.

Two spacewalking teams will replace the 19-year-old Hubble's batteries and gyroscopes, install two new cameras and take a crack at fixing two broken science instruments, something never before attempted. Those instruments, loaded with bolts and fasteners, were not designed to be tinkered with in space.

ATK designed and manufactured tools to fix the Hubble's Imaging Spectograph, which a 2004 power failure crippled. However, the power supply was never meant to be repaired by an astronaut wearing a bulky space suit.

Cassidy compared the repair with someone opening up a computer and replacing a board while wearing thick gloves on his hands and a fishbowl on his head.

NASA also didn't have the technology to quickly remove the fasteners and contain the more than 100 fasteners once free.

"With these fasteners, you don't need a really strong motor to break them free, but what you need is a really, really fast motor to be able to, basically like an Indy pit crew, to be able to buzz through all these fasteners in a very rapid succession of time," Cassidy said.

ATK, though, was able to create a mini power tool that spins 210 times per minute -- the previous space cordless drill spun at about 10 times a minute -- and designed a capture plate that corrals the loose fasteners.

ATK also led a team of various contractors in designing, manufacturing and testing the replacement electronics for the Advanced Camera for Surveys instrument.

"On this historic mission, ATK is pleased to play a key role in the both the launch of STS-125 and the on-orbit repair of Hubble," said Blake Larsen, ATK Space Systems president. "With this mission, Hubble will continue to rewrite astronomy textbooks for years to come."

Five spacewalks will be needed to accomplish everything planned during the $1 billion mission. The work is so tricky and intricate that two of the repairmen are Hubble veterans, John Grunsfeld and Michael Massimino. Grunsfeld, the chief repairman, is making an unprecedented third trip to the telescope.

Scott Altman, the commander, also has previously flown to the telescope.

NASA hopes the repair will keep the Hubble in operation until 2014. The repair mission was delayed for years due to a lack of tools needed to fix the space telescope and also the worry about the design of the space shuttle. The stakes and potential dangers of this week's launch are higher since astronauts last traveled to the telescope in 2002. Space has become more littered with junk at Hubble's altitude because of satellite collisions and breakups, and NASA now knows all too well how much damage can be done at liftoff by a piece of fuel-tank foam. Columbia was brought down by such damage.

But NASA instituted several changes, including having the shuttle Endeavour ready for launch in case a rescue mission is necessary.

"I personally believe the stakes for science are very high," senior project scientist David Leckrone said. "It's a very complex, very ambitious mission, and it makes the difference between an observatory that's kind of limping along scientifically and an observatory that's the best ever."

smcfarland@sltrib.com

The Associated Press contributed to this report.