Hubble May Get A Reprieve

[Speed]

Unfortunately, these are old links. A few days ago, NASA declared their "final" answer: No more Hubble. They are now citing "danger to the astronauts" as the reason.

I'm still willing to go up there and service though!

It's going to be a great loss to astronomy when the Hubble dies. The Webb Space Telescope isn't due to go up until 2010 or so, and it does not have any visible light instruments on it!

[Michael Fanelli]

I'm still willing to go up there and service though!

It's going to be a great loss to astronomy when the Hubble dies. The Webb Space Telescope isn't due to go up until 2010 or so, and it does not have any visible light instruments on it!

Yes, a great loss. But visible light is only a very small piece of the puzzle. Take a look at the images from the x-ray, UV, and the new infrared space telescopes. Just as valuable and, in some ways, more so.

[1064nm]

Yes, a great loss. But visible light is only a very small piece of the puzzle. Take a look at the images from the x-ray, UV, and the new infrared space telescopes. Just as valuable and, in some ways, more so.

Very true. While the visible stuff makes us happy, there are other parts of the EM spectrum that are much more interesting scientifically. That said, there is nothing in the CAIB report that specifically adresses Hubble and the so called risk. And, as it happens, there are documents circulating and now being looked at by NASA re: the actual risk of Hubble missions.

The bad part of all of this would be not having anything up between the demise of Hubble and the arrival of Webb. A lot of good science can be done, yet, by Hubble. The problem is probably less risk and more political. Even w/ recent announcements re: future missions (mars, moon), NASA will only receive the minimum amount of funding necessary to do the missions. Maybe if NASA was funded like the military....or maybe if NASA had the 80 billion that was earmarked for Iraq....

NASA factoid: for every $1 spent at NASA, $300 are returned in new technology, invention, and products. Arguably, NASA is one of the most profitable arms of the gov't.