Hubble Space Telescope first casualty of Bush space initiative

Found at:

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/20...-ditched_x.htm


Hubble Space Telescope first casualty of Bush space
initiative

By Paul Recer, The Associated Press

WASHINGTON — The Hubble Space Telescope will be allowed to
degrade and eventually become useless as NASA changes focus
to President Bush's plans to send humans to the moon, Mars
and beyond, officials say.

NASA canceled all space shuttle servicing missions to the
Hubble, which has revolutionized the study of astronomy with
its striking images of the universe.

John Grunsfeld, NASA's chief scientist, said Friday that
NASA administrator Sean O'Keefe made the decision to cancel
the fifth space shuttle service mission to the Hubble when
it became clear there was not enough time to conduct it
before the shuttle is retired. The servicing mission was
considered essential to enable the orbiting telescope to
continue to operate.

"This is a sad day," said Grunsfeld, but he said the
decision "is the best thing for the space community."

He said the decision was influenced by President Bush's new
space initiative, which calls for NASA to start developing
the spacecraft and equipment for voyages to the moon and
later to Mars. The president's plan also called for the
space shuttle to be retired by 2010. Virtually all of the
shuttle's remaining flights would be used to complete
construction of the International Space Station.

The shuttle has been grounded since the explosion of the
Columbia nearly a year ago.

end excerpt



It is ridiculous to blame the Hubble decision on President
Bush's new Moon/Mars space initiative.

This decision was made because of the Columbia space
shuttle disaster; the safety concerns related to future
shuttle launches; the *very* large number of shuttle
launches required to finish the International space station;
and the fact that the Columbia disaster has severly damaged
the space station construction schedule due to the grounding
of the other shuttles.

All of these problems would still exist even if President
Bush had not announced a new space initiative, and the
decision about Hubble would be the same.

I personally hope NASA can figure out a way to service the
Hubble telescope. It is more important than any one piece
of the International space station, so if one flight has to
be cancelled, let it be one to the International space
station rather than the one to Hubble, especially
considering that we already have $200 million worth of new
instruments to add to Hubble that have already been bought
and paid for.


TA

Hopefully aliens will invade and kill our current leaders.

Bush is a MORON.


Tom Abbott wrote:

Found at:

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/20...-ditched_x.htm


Hubble Space Telescope first casualty of Bush space
initiative

By Paul Recer, The Associated Press

WASHINGTON — The Hubble Space Telescope will be allowed to
degrade and eventually become useless as NASA changes focus
to President Bush's plans to send humans to the moon, Mars
and beyond, officials say.

NASA canceled all space shuttle servicing missions to the
Hubble, which has revolutionized the study of astronomy with
its striking images of the universe.

John Grunsfeld, NASA's chief scientist, said Friday that
NASA administrator Sean O'Keefe made the decision to cancel
the fifth space shuttle service mission to the Hubble when
it became clear there was not enough time to conduct it
before the shuttle is retired. The servicing mission was
considered essential to enable the orbiting telescope to
continue to operate.

"This is a sad day," said Grunsfeld, but he said the
decision "is the best thing for the space community."

He said the decision was influenced by President Bush's new
space initiative, which calls for NASA to start developing
the spacecraft and equipment for voyages to the moon and
later to Mars. The president's plan also called for the
space shuttle to be retired by 2010. Virtually all of the
shuttle's remaining flights would be used to complete
construction of the International Space Station.

The shuttle has been grounded since the explosion of the
Columbia nearly a year ago.

end excerpt



It is ridiculous to blame the Hubble decision on President
Bush's new Moon/Mars space initiative.

This decision was made because of the Columbia space
shuttle disaster; the safety concerns related to future
shuttle launches; the *very* large number of shuttle
launches required to finish the International space station;
and the fact that the Columbia disaster has severly damaged
the space station construction schedule due to the grounding
of the other shuttles.

All of these problems would still exist even if President
Bush had not announced a new space initiative, and the
decision about Hubble would be the same.

I personally hope NASA can figure out a way to service the
Hubble telescope. It is more important than any one piece
of the International space station, so if one flight has to
be cancelled, let it be one to the International space
station rather than the one to Hubble, especially
considering that we already have $200 million worth of new
instruments to add to Hubble that have already been bought
and paid for.


TA

"Joe Schmoe" wrote in message
...
Hopefully aliens will invade and kill our current leaders.

Bush is a MORON.

"Tom Abbott" wrote in message
...
I personally hope NASA can figure out a way to service the
Hubble telescope. It is more important than any one piece
of the International space station, so if one flight has to
be cancelled, let it be one to the International space
station rather than the one to Hubble, especially
considering that we already have $200 million worth of new
instruments to add to Hubble that have already been bought
and paid for.

How about saving the servicing money and the components and keep them for a
lunar version of Hubble ? Is there something urgent to be discovered that
absolutely needs to be done this decade ?

-kert

"Kaido Kert" wrote in message
...
"Tom Abbott" wrote in message
...
I personally hope NASA can figure out a way to service the
Hubble telescope. It is more important than any one piece
of the International space station, so if one flight has to
be cancelled, let it be one to the International space
station rather than the one to Hubble, especially
considering that we already have $200 million worth of new
instruments to add to Hubble that have already been bought
and paid for.

How about saving the servicing money and the components and keep them for
a
lunar version of Hubble ? Is there something urgent to be discovered that
absolutely needs to be done this decade ?

Discovery doesn't occur on a schedule. That's why it's called discovery.

In sci.space.policy Kaido Kert wrote:
"Tom Abbott" wrote in message
...
I personally hope NASA can figure out a way to service the
Hubble telescope. It is more important than any one piece
of the International space station, so if one flight has to
be cancelled, let it be one to the International space
station rather than the one to Hubble, especially
considering that we already have $200 million worth of new
instruments to add to Hubble that have already been bought
and paid for.

How about saving the servicing money and the components and keep them for a
lunar version of Hubble ? Is there something urgent to be discovered that
absolutely needs to be done this decade ?

There is *NO* point in making a moon version of Hubble. No point at all.


-kert



--
Sander

+++ Out of cheese error +++

"Sander Vesik" wrote in message
...
In sci.space.policy Kaido Kert wrote:
"Tom Abbott" wrote in message
...
I personally hope NASA can figure out a way to service the
Hubble telescope. It is more important than any one piece
of the International space station, so if one flight has to
be cancelled, let it be one to the International space
station rather than the one to Hubble, especially
considering that we already have $200 million worth of new
instruments to add to Hubble that have already been bought
and paid for.

How about saving the servicing money and the components and keep them
for a
lunar version of Hubble ? Is there something urgent to be discovered
that
absolutely needs to be done this decade ?

There is *NO* point in making a moon version of Hubble. No point at all.
There is *NO* point in making a movie version of LoTR. No point at all. (
read: i know everything with 100% certainty. I can tell every single radio
astronomer what they need, want or should want )

-kert

In sci.space.policy Kaido Kert wrote:
"Sander Vesik" wrote in message
...
In sci.space.policy Kaido Kert wrote:
"Tom Abbott" wrote in message
...
I personally hope NASA can figure out a way to service the
Hubble telescope. It is more important than any one piece
of the International space station, so if one flight has to
be cancelled, let it be one to the International space
station rather than the one to Hubble, especially
considering that we already have $200 million worth of new
instruments to add to Hubble that have already been bought
and paid for.

How about saving the servicing money and the components and keep them
for a
lunar version of Hubble ? Is there something urgent to be discovered
that
absolutely needs to be done this decade ?

There is *NO* point in making a moon version of Hubble. No point at all.
There is *NO* point in making a movie version of LoTR. No point at all. (
read: i know everything with 100% certainty. I can tell every single radio
astronomer what they need, want or should want )

Well you are the one around who keeps claiming that lots of things can be
done on Moon and done better from Moon while consistently failing to bring
any examples as to why. So how about starting to list all those wonderful
things the moon based hubble replacement can do? Don't forget that you need
to compensate for the greately reduced pointing capability.


-kert



--
Sander

+++ Out of cheese error +++

"Kaido Kert" wrote in message
...
"Tom Abbott" wrote in message
...
I personally hope NASA can figure out a way to service the
Hubble telescope. It is more important than any one piece
of the International space station, so if one flight has to
be cancelled, let it be one to the International space
station rather than the one to Hubble, especially
considering that we already have $200 million worth of new
instruments to add to Hubble that have already been bought
and paid for.

How about saving the servicing money and the components and keep them for
a
lunar version of Hubble ? Is there something urgent to be discovered that
absolutely needs to be done this decade ?

They won't keep.

Besides, a lunar version of Hubble would not be an improvement
over one in low-earth orbit. Secondly, no one, but no one, has
talked of plans for a lunar version of Hubble. Third, if they won't
maintain a telescope in low earth orbit, what makes you think they
will maintain a telescope on the moon?

In article ,
Tom Abbott wrote:
I personally hope NASA can figure out a way to service the
Hubble telescope. It is more important than any one piece of the
International space station,...

Hubble is much more important than the entire space station. Hubble is
a spectacular telescope used in thousands of ways by astronomers all
over the world. The space station hasn't really accomplished anything,
and I doubt that it ever will. It's the Spruce Goose of our times.

Anyway, whether you blame the end of Hubble on Bush's "initiative"
or on the Columbia disaster, it just yet another example of astronauts
obstructing space science. If not for the crazy devotion to "repairing"
aging hardware, NASA could have launched new telescopes that would have
been better than Hubble: better hardware, a better orbit, and a better
launch schedule too. The Hubble service schedule has become the worst
possible, namely no launches at all.
--
/\ Greg Kuperberg (UC Davis)
/ \
\ / Visit the Math ArXiv Front at http://front.math.ucdavis.edu/
\/ * All the math that's fit to e-print *