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Farewell To Eyes Above And Below

Posted by timothy on from the all-good-things dept.

LMCBoy writes "SpaceRef is reporting that the STIS Instrument on board HST has failed. The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph was HST's only spectrometer, and was responsible for several important discoveries, including the first detection of an exoplanet's atmosphere. The loss is believed to have been caused by a failure in the instrument's main electronics box, which led to a rapid increase in the input current of about 1 ampere, which caused the instrument to enter a "suspend" state. It is believed that this failure is not recoverable." No_Weak_Heart writes "Perhaps the world's most renowned submersible, Alvin of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, is slated for retirement. Alvin has helped scientists explore deep sea, find a lost Hydrogen bomb(oops!) and discover more than 300 new animal species, will be replaced by a newer version in 2008. Also available this audio clip from NPR." (Here's a glance at Alvin's replacement.) Update: 08/07 17:29 GMT by T : Note: "HST"="Hubble Space Telescope." Thanks to Chris Johansen for pointing out the overloaded acryonym.

5 of 136 comments (clear)

  1. So long.. by Grave · · Score: 5, Funny

    And thanks for all the awesome images.

    1. Re:So long.. by Biogenesis · · Score: 2, Funny

      I believe "and thanks for all the gif's" would have flowed better in parallel with the original quote...I'll go back to the shadows now.

      --
      ...just so Google finds it.
  2. Blind? No problem by Isopropyl · · Score: 5, Funny

    Now that the HST is effectively blind, it can look forward to a long and promising career as an NFL referee.

    1. Re:Blind? No problem by NeoThermic · · Score: 3, Funny

      >> Now that the HST is effectively blind, it can look forward to a long and promising career as an NFL referee.

      Or if FIFA get their hands on it, it can referee the next England match...

      NeoThermic

      --
      Use my link above, or to view my server, NeoThermic.com
  3. Sea littler by ndavidg · · Score: 5, Funny

    Found a hydrogen bomb? The one that releases the power of the sun? Given the amount of earth the ground covers compared to dry land, it makes you wonder how many more of these little "lost treasures" are out there. Definitely puts one over on the guy and that T.V. commerical: "With the treasure hunter, my wife is proud of the weight I lost, and she's definitely proud of this!" [H-bomb twinkles]