Will the Hubble Space Telescope fall to Earth?

I recall hearing the HST will fall to Earth within a year or so. Is that
correct? If so, anybody have an approximate time for that?

Mainly curious. Many thanks in advance.

I don't believe any final decisions have been reached - here's a article
that discusses the subject:

http://www.space.com/businesstechnol...se_030804.html

(you may need to cut and paste the link elements in your browser)


-Paul S. Walsh



"John Doe" wrote in message
news
I recall hearing the HST will fall to Earth within a year or so. Is that
correct? If so, anybody have an approximate time for that?

Mainly curious. Many thanks in advance.

"John Doe" wrote

I recall hearing the HST will fall to Earth within a year or so. Is that
correct? If so, anybody have an approximate time for that?

I believe it's scheduled for April 31, 2005, landing in my back yard. I have
a Vixen GP-DX all ready for it. The NICMOS people downstairs'll be ****ed,
for sure.

Was it Newton who is quoted as saying that what goes up must come down.
Probably not. But all the space craft and resultant junk will fall back to the
planet eventually. Although the atmosphere is highly tenuous up there, over
time it will aerobrake the satellites.
Bill Bambrick
41 N, 73 W, 95 ASL

"Howard Lester" wrote in sci.astro.amateur:


I believe it's scheduled for April 31, 2005, landing in my back yard.
I have a Vixen GP-DX all ready for it. The NICMOS people downstairs'll
be ****ed, for sure.


It will be crowded in your back yard that day. I'll bring some ugly guys
with sun glasses with me to do the carrying - of course. By April 32, when
I get home, I hope I'll get it to make the turn on the stairs to place it
in my study.

--
CeeBee


"I am not a crook"


Google CeeBee @ www.geocities.com/ceebee_2

Howard Lester wrote:

I believe it's scheduled for April 31, 2005, landing in my back yard. ...


To help you catch the incoming Hubble Space Telescope, Howard, you're
more than welcome to borrow my monster-size baseball mitt. I keep it
stored in San Francisco, in the edifice formerly known as Pacific Bell
Park, propped up behind the left-field bleachers....

--
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Mark Gingrich San Leandro, California

(Jb2269) wrote in message ...

Was it Newton who is quoted as saying that what goes up must come down.
Probably not. But all the space craft and resultant junk will fall back to the
planet eventually. Although the atmosphere is highly tenuous up there, over
time it will aerobrake the satellites.

Wow, in that case, I guess putting the bad mirror in the HST and the
good one in a museum was a good idea after all. ;-P


- Robert Cook

"Jb2269" wrote in message
...
Was it Newton who is quoted as saying that what goes up must come
down.
Probably not. But all the space craft and resultant junk will fall back to
the
planet eventually. Although the atmosphere is highly tenuous up there,
over
time it will aerobrake the satellites.

Is that really true for _all_ satellites, Bill?

You're right of course when it comes to objects in low orbit, such as HST,
but my understanding was that objects in geostationary orbit, for example,
are effectively "permanent".

Regards,

Chris

John Doe wrote:

I recall hearing the HST will fall to Earth within a year or so. Is that
correct?

No, it will be nearly 10 years before HST may come down. If servicing
missions are mounted, there will likely be reboosts to extend the orbital
lifetime. Clear skies to you.
--
David W. Knisely
Prairie Astronomy Club: http://www.prairieastronomyclub.org
Hyde Memorial Observatory: http://www.hydeobservatory.info/

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Chris,
Other than the moon which is being accelerated away from the Earth by
tidal friction, I think all other satellites will fall. Metallic geostationary
satellites may feel electromagnetic braking from restistive dissipation of ring
currents generated as they pass through the Earth's magnetic field. Like a
short circuited generator
Bill Bambrick
41 N, 73 W, 95 ASL