Nick Hull wrote:

Rather than abandon Hubble it would seem to make more sense to abandon
the ISS and use the remaining parts to build a new smaller space station
in a Hubble compatible orbit. The current ISS is in a poor orbit to
please the Russians and produces very little real science. If we use
the shuttle to boost a small space station closer (orbitwise) to Hubble
we can have both, a space stetion (USA) and the hubble.

Because of the constant stream of junk that emanates from
ISS (or any other space station for that matter) it would
be a bad idea to have it near Hubble or any other space
telescope. It would be only a matter of time before the
mirror was contaminated by the gases and other bits of
trash that leaked from the station.

Besides, ISS will likely be deorbited just two or three
years after its completion and the end of the Shuttle program
anyway. By 2014-2015 the US should be completely out of
the manned space business and the space science business.
It shouldn't be a problem though, as China and ESA should
be fully up to speed by then and we can beg for handouts
from their programs.

JazzMan
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