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Old January 24th 04, 04:50 AM
Jim Kingdon
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Default Moving Hubble close to the ISS.

Would it still function if it was manouvred into an orbit matching that of
the ISS (perigee 361km apogee 437km) and parked 100 metres away from it?


It would require more frequent reboosts, so it might want to spend
some of its time a bit higher, but especially if it had its own
propulsion added, this wouldn't really be a problem.

It would make servicing it a lot cheaper because the two missions
(resupply of ISS and servicing of Hubble) could be combined.


Not exactly. Limits on crew time and upmass would still apply, so you
wouldn't necessarily get resupply/servicing "for free".

But it would mean that the shuttle could dock with ISS for tile
inspection and possibly emergency shelter. In the post-Columbia
environment, that's a very big consideration.

See http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.html?pid=10083 for one blurb
about robotic reboosting of Hubble. Whether this happens is very much
to be determined.

(I sort of like the idea which is floating around to build a new space
telescope incorporating one or both of the Hubble instruments which
would have been on the cancelled servicing mission. But how
practical/affordable *that* will be is also very much to be
determined).