Hubble Telescope to be De-orbited
De-orbited
or, more succinctly, crashed into the ocean somewhere. It's too bad - NASA has
determined that the cost and complexity of doing a tele-robotic repair mission
to the scope far outweigh the science that it would do in the next few years.
Hubble is aging, and in need of it's 15-billion mile oil change. Unfortunately,
it doesn't look like that is going to happen
now.
An automated liquid-fueled rocket will be flown to the telescope and fired up to plunge the thing into the sea in 2008. Until that time, scientists are working on limping the scope along with fewer gyros and other failing parts. They claim they may be able to get reasonably good observations out of it until then.
The real bummer is that it appears that there is no immediate replacement for Hubble. Nothing is scheduled for launch to take its place, and there isn't the equivalent ground equipment available.
Link to CNN article.
An automated liquid-fueled rocket will be flown to the telescope and fired up to plunge the thing into the sea in 2008. Until that time, scientists are working on limping the scope along with fewer gyros and other failing parts. They claim they may be able to get reasonably good observations out of it until then.
The real bummer is that it appears that there is no immediate replacement for Hubble. Nothing is scheduled for launch to take its place, and there isn't the equivalent ground equipment available.
Link to CNN article.
Posted: Mon - April 4, 2005 at 10:13 AM
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Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats.
- H.L. Mencken
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