Ool wrote:

"Charleston" wrote in message news:SEMOb.38511$Ar1.22891@fed1read04...
"VTrade" wrote:

When did Hubble break down? Just when the controversy over its ownership
started.

I say Hubble is not only alive and well but probably looking out at the
Stars right now. Even if it isn't it is in a Geosycronous orbital path at
96,000 miles above the Earth. Trust me - I know!

Geosynchronous orbit is about 22.5K miles and the Hubble is in low earth
orbit (around 300 miles or so). Chandra flies in an elliptical orbit
roughly close to your 96K mile reference. .Is that what you are referring
to?

This means that at the current rate of decay - it will fall to Earth in
about 2,000 Years.

I'm pretty sure most people have no idea where exactly things are and
about the distances involved...

If Hubble were in GEO (36,000km) we couldn't have even reached it for
servicing before. No person has ventured out into space further than
around 550km in the last 30 years. They may have flown past the
Moon's far side once, but that was long ago. Every endeavour since
then has meant splashing around on the beach, just a bit off-shore.

Bush addressed this fact in his speech.

From that alone you can deduce that Hubble must be orbiting quite
close. *People* went there after it.

If the US abandons Hubble can another country claim the salvage rights
to it? Maybe this is why the US would rather deorbit it than place it in
a higher orbit for safe keeping.


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