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Space Tug to Save the Hubble?

Aglassis writes "In an article at SpaceRef, the CTO of Orbital Recovery Corporation claims that his company will be able to develop a space tug that could save the Hubble Space Telescope (from becoming 'a ballisticly implanted reef in the Pacific') by either moving it into a much higher stable orbit, or by moving it to the ISS where it could be maintained and operated. Some of the reasons that he cites are that the Hubble's replacement, the James Webb Space Telescope, could be delayed or suffer some sort of failure. Since the JWST will be at the L2 point, servicing will be impossible."

16 of 325 comments (clear)

  1. Free Taco? by DrewBeavis · · Score: 3, Funny
    Look on the bright side. If they don't save Hubble, maybe taco bell will do their space junk promotion again like they did for Mir and we can win a free taco?

    Sometimes you have to look on the bright side.

    1. Re:Free Taco? by WasteOfAmmo · · Score: 2, Funny
      considering the enormous waste

      Before, or after you eat it?

  2. Could we use it.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...to find the Beagle?

  3. Hubble is now like BSD by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Funny

    It's dying.

  4. Doesn't NASA... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Doesn't NASA have a AAA card? They tow for free, you know...

  5. Re:Wrong by strictnein · · Score: 1, Funny

    but... but.. but we need big phalic like things floating around our planet to show those aliens how manly we are!

  6. Sounds fishy... by Stingr · · Score: 4, Funny

    "Some of the reasons that he cites are that the Hubble's replacement, the James Webb Space Telescope, could be delayed or suffer some sort of failure."

    Sounds like some kind of extortion scam to me...

    Pay me to save Hubble or something could happen to your fancy schmancy new one.

    --
    Chaos reigns within.
    Reflect, repent, and reboot.
    Order shall return.
  7. Re:My opinion by GonzoDave · · Score: 2, Funny

    If he was alive, he'd probably be turning in his grave

  8. Re:Take it over. by A55M0NKEY · · Score: 3, Funny

    Once the telescope becomes useless, it seems to me that it should be considered Junk, and ripe for salvage. A private company could take it over and sell online time on it to those who want to peep into other people's windows.

    --

    Eat at Joe's.

  9. Re:Um by H8X55 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Here's the problem: No one wanted their satellites back. By the time their fuel was spent, they were old technology that would be replaced by a new satellite.

    What is it about this comment that make me think of commercials for eBay?

    ::cue music:: For a lawnmower blade to cut your grass or a satellite that's out of gas, use eBay! Use eBay! For a Beagle that has missed his mark or a spark plug wire that wouldn't spark - Use eBay! ::/cue music::

  10. Re:Tow it to ISS! by jhoffoss · · Score: 3, Funny
    " Tow the HST to the ISS. Once there, maybe some equipment/raw material can be salvaged (at least)..."

    Crikey! Just imagine what McGuyver could do with even just a few of HST's parts!

    --
    Linux: The world's best text-adventure game.
  11. Re:Wrong by aridg · · Score: 2, Funny

    Not to mention that even adaptive optics don't help you see through clouds...

  12. Re:Letter sent to European astronomers by alexpage · · Score: 5, Funny

    Dear Colleague,

    You may be surprised at my contacting you in this manner. I am DENNIS WINGO, chief technical officer of the ORBITAL RECOVERY CORPORATION, and you have been identified as a trustworthy person with whom I can do business.

    Recently, I have suffered due to instability in the Hubble Space Telescope, which contains a good deal of material worth, approximately 100 MILLION US DOLLARS. If this money is not quickly recovered then the value will be burned in the atmosphere and everybody will have lost. If you help me to recover this money, I will send you 10% of the value (10 MILLION US DOLLARS). Please reply with details of your bank account number, sort code, account name and date of birth and we can begin the process of saving the Hubble Space Telescope and the 100 MILLION US DOLLARS value within.

    Yours,

    Dennis Wingo
    Chief Technical Officer
    Orbital Recovery Corporation
    wingod@orbitalrecovery.com

  13. Re:Um by corebreech · · Score: 4, Funny

    The reason we won't put the Hubble at the L2 point is because Bush can't pronounce Lagrange. Ergo, no announcement. Thus, no funding.

  14. Why not by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Just send a robot up there? According to the "no more people in space" crowd, robots can do everything people can do, right?

    Why not just bounce a pathfinder golf cart off the side of it? That would be the spaceflight equivalent of banging the side of the television. Works for rabbit ears.

  15. Re:Just give it to 'em by jafac · · Score: 2, Funny

    Indeed; there is no such thing as an "orbital paperweight". More of an orbital papermass.

    --

    These are my friends, See how they glisten. See this one shine, how he smiles in the light.