The Hubble Space Telescope is an international venture primarily between the USA and Europe. More than any other space project, Hubble has encouraged an expanding interest in popular astronomy. With stunning views of the cosmos, it has inspired a new generation of enthusiasts to study the night sky through simple telescopes or in books. As such it has linked space technology with popular interest in astronomy and has thrilled specialists and the lay public alike.

Dr. David Baker worked with NASA on the Gemini, Apollo and Shuttle programmes between 1965 and 1990. He has written more than 100 books on space flight, aviation and military technology. In October 2017 he received the American Astronautical Society's Frederick I. Ordway III award "for a sustained excellence in space coverage, through books, articles, as well as engagement in the early US space program." Dr. Baker is the author of the Haynes NASA Space Shuttle Manual, International Space Station Manual, NASA Mars Rovers Manual, Apollo 13 Manual, Soyuz Manual, Rocket Manual and Hubble Space Telescope Manual. David is currently the Editor of Spaceflight, the monthly space news magazine of the British Interplanetary Society, of which he is a Fellow, and he lives in East Sussex.