"Jorge R. Frank" wrote in message
...
"Mike Rhino" wrote in
:

They wouldn't be able to repair the second shuttle before launching
it, but their downtime between disasters is so long, that not even ISS
could save them. ISS has the Soyuz as a backup. Is there any chance
of a Soyuz backup for a Hubble mission?

No. A Soyuz launched from Baikonur cannot reach HST's inclination. The
proposed Soyuz pad at Kourou is not planned to accommodate manned Soyuz
launches. Rescuing a 7-person HST crew would require at least three Soyuz
launches, and the Russians do not have the capability to launch that many
in a 2-4 week period.

Do you need a 7 man crew to fix the Hubble? Reducing the crew size would
reduce the death toll should something go wrong.