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NASA Prepares for Possible Shuttle Mission to Save Hubble

croxiscroxis I am the walrus
in Zocalo v2.0
[url=http://space.com/news/050429_hubble_griffin.html]From Space.com[/url]

[quote]NASA's new Administrator Mike Griffin told reporters today that he informed key members of Congress Thursday evening that he would direct engineers at Goddard Spaceflight center to start preparing for a space shuttle servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope on the assumption that one ultimately will go forward.[/quote]

Comments

  • Random ChaosRandom Chaos Actually Carefully-selected Order in disguise
    One small step for the administrator, one giant leap for mankind.

    Now hopefully he will follow through.
  • SanfamSanfam I like clocks.
    I knew this guy was a good choice. It's only a small thing, but it's a good deal closer to what we all want.

    I had hoped a beancounter would set things straight, but that failed, so it's back to good 'ol science-leading-science. :D
  • croxiscroxis I am the walrus
    so who is this guy?
  • E.TE.T Quote-o-matic
    Hubble - 15 Years of Discovery

    Think this fits also here.

    Because of Hubble's 15 year anniversary ESA made "Hubble - 15 Years of Discovery" DVD which I got yesterday with Astronomical Associations's member magazine and it looks quite good.
    It doesn't go to details but I think it works well as general introduction to HST and cosmology for general public.


    [url]http://www.spacetelescope.org/projects/anniversary/movie_dvd.html[/url]
    [url]http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-042105a.html[/url]


    [url]http://www.spacetelescope.org/news/html/heic0505.html[/url]
    [url]http://www.spacetelescope.org/news/html/heic0506.html[/url]

    And two [b]VERY[/b] high res photos:
    [url]http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/object/index.cfm?fobjectid=36997[/url]
  • sleepy_shadowsleepy_shadow Ranger
    Planning to do it with the shuttle?
    Well, better than not planning at all.

    But I would have still recommended a solar-powered ion-engined space tug, to catch Hubble from it current orbit, take it for fixing to ISS, and later tug it back.
  • SanfamSanfam I like clocks.
    [QUOTE][i]Originally posted by sleepy_shadow [/i]
    [B]Planning to do it with the shuttle?
    Well, better than not planning at all.

    But I would have still recommended a solar-powered ion-engined space tug, to catch Hubble from it current orbit, take it for fixing to ISS, and later tug it back. [/B][/QUOTE]

    Given NASA's present budget, I do not believe anything *but* the shuttle is feasable. While hellishly expensive as it is, the shuttle does not need time and money for R&D, nor the time and budget to construct it (being as it already exists). The Solar Powered Ion-engine space tug would be a snazzy idea, but it's just not feasable given the organizations already thin budget.

    However, repairs and servicing mission aside, I would much rather see a "Hubble 2" constructed using the spare mirror and modern capture equipment and systems. The Mirror is one of the larger costs in the project, and the spare Kodak manufactured reflector is still here on earth (I believe it's still on display at some museum). This mirror, combined with other spare components already manufactured for the hubble, could be used to produce a near duplicate at a fraction of the original cost (excluding launch) which could be put into orbit for another 15 to 20 years.
  • JackNJackN <font color=#99FF99>Lightwave Alien</font>
    Can you imagine a second one in orbit and then both used as a tag team on something...?

    :)

    Now that's an Interferometer! ;)
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