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Old April 27th 05, 04:52 PM
John Bartley
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Default Mission to Hubble Solution: Shuttle + Soyuz?

Down about half way at
http://www.jerrypournelle.com/mail/mail359.html#Monday
one Alan Questell suggested:

Subject: Mission to Hubble Solution

This solution seems so simple, that someone should have thought of
it.
But if they have, I haven't heard it.

Why not launch both a shuttle (2 man crew) and a Soyuz (1 man)
on a mission to service Hubble. The Soyuz would serve as a lifeboat
should something happen to the shuttle, since NASA is so nervous
about flying anywhere except the ISS since it can serve as a
lifeboat.

First, I don't see a reference anywhere at
http://www.starsem.com
to the Soyuz being able to reach a 600km 'circular' orbit at 28.5
degrees inclination. On the contrary, I see references to limited
capabilities of Soyuz in USENET searches and nothing near that
altitudue and inclination.

There's mention made at Starsem of the Fregat Upper Stage (fourth
stage) but no statement that it's man-rated. Although UDMH & NTO
aren't just for breakfast anymore, I would have reservations about new
hardware. Maybe it has M$ software in it, and they never get even
marginally reliable until version 3..... {/humor}



Secondly, the design life was 15 years with on-orbit servicing
http://www.stsci.edu/hst/HST_overview/
(Original plan was to bring it home for overhaul, but five years before
launch, "contamination and structural loading concerns associated with
return to Earth aboard the shuttle eliminated the concept of ground
return from the program")
so we're past the freshness date of Hubble, anyway, right?