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Canadian Robot Could Rescue Hubble

Posted by timothy on from the mounties-in-space dept.

NETHED writes "We have all seen Stories about The Hubble Space Telescope and its current problems. Since then, NASA has okayed the fix of the HST. It seems that America's neighbor to the North has some answers. Dextre to the rescue. The mission would not be decided upon until next summer says Sean O'Keefe. It seems that NASA saw this as a good way to listen to the public for about 1.6 billion dollars." Update: 08/11 15:45 GMT by T : Reader Michael Mol dug up a link with a more technical explanation of Dextre, noting "It looks like Dextre's normally supposed to be attached to something before it performs work."

20 of 298 comments (clear)

  1. Popular opinion wins out? by MarkEst1973 · · Score: 4, Interesting
    I'm quite glad that public outcry over abandoning Hubble has changed NASA's plan for the space telescope.

    It was poor timing on NASA's part, really, because just when the latest and greatest pics from Hubble were gaining mass popularity, they wanted to pull the plug. Maybe O'Keefe isn't the savviest politician?

    The HST is one of the coolest tools we have for exploration. I'm rather glad that it will be serviced, and thanks to our country's hat (Canada) for stepping up.

  2. Didn't realise Canada did that much in Space by Calathea · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Other than this project and the arm for the ISS (and possibly the shuttle) is there anything else that Canada has put into space? Are they particularly good at robotics?

    1. Re:Didn't realise Canada did that much in Space by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

      Canada's vast area and sparse population drive much of her space activity. Canada is a pioneer and even a leader in satellite communication because that is the cheapest way to communicate with the whole country. It's the same for remote sensing. It's way cheaper to map the country's resources from space than it is on the ground.

    2. Re:Didn't realise Canada did that much in Space by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

      Space Suit Batteries being made in Mississauga...

      http://www.siliconvalleynorth.com/home/newskzCMg UA KmL.html
      http://www.globetechnology.com/servlet/s tory/RTGAM .20040630.gtelec072/BNPrint/Technology/?mainhub=GT

  3. Taking Apart Hubble by Short+Circuit · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Great, but will it be able to service a device that wasn't built to be taken apart?

    The Hubble wasn't designed to be entirely serviceable...that led to problems with previous servicing missions, most notably replacing the old defective mirror.

    It looks like Dextre is supposed to be mounted to something before operating. Perhaps they're planning on a free controlled platform?

    --
    tasks(723) drafts(105) languages(484) examples(29106)
  4. Robotic vs. manned service mission by hcg50a · · Score: 4, Interesting

    O'Keefe is going to have to ask Congress for an extra $1.6B, which isn't budgeted. Isn't this about 5 times the amount a manned mission costs to do the same thing?

    Is it worth it?

    --
    HCG 50a = 2MASX J11170638+5455016
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    1. Re:Robotic vs. manned service mission by niall2 · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Each shuttle launch used to cost between 500 and 1000 million. This one would cost more as to satisfy the CAIB report a second shuttle and team would have to be on the pad, ready to go just in case there was a problem. They would have to train the second crew in rescue and have its support team prepped and ready to go. So really the cost of going to Hubble with a shuttle and with DEXTER is about the same in the end.

      The benefit of DEXTER is that it is out of the loop of the CIAB and the refit of the shuttles. As the shuttle refit is largely being done for IIS, it would probably take some priority over HST. Then you start bumping into the end of life for HST. If the batteries fail you cannot control the telescope and hence cannot dock with it. So really the slight extra cost is outweighed by the benefits.

      Now the question if can the robot really install the COS is a different question (the hardest part of the proposed mission). But thats what the next year of studies are about.

      --
      Today is a gift. Save the receipt.
  5. Transfer Hubble to ESA! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    If at some point NASA won't be willing to maintain the hubble anymore, how about transfering it to ESA? (petty nationalistic interests aside.)

    1. Re:Transfer Hubble to ESA! by meringuoid · · Score: 2, Interesting
      If at some point NASA won't be willing to maintain the hubble anymore, how about transfering it to ESA? (petty nationalistic interests aside.)

      America has the capability, but not the will, to maintain Hubble. Maybe ESA or Russia or Japan might have the will, but nobody has the capability. AFAIK, only the Shuttle is capable of reaching, capturing and repairing Hubble. Just perhaps a Soyuz could get up there, but its ability to manoeuvre and dock would be very much in question.

      --
      Real Daleks don't climb stairs - they level the building.
  6. Cool by pHatidic · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Dextre is a clever name for a two armed robot. In classical latin Dexter is the right hand and Sinister is the left hand. That is why we call people who have "two right hands" ambi-dexterous. I'm not going to make any jokes about left handed people being sinister in case they ended up with all the mod points today.

  7. Re:Repairs by missing000 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I'm just happy that they decided not to ditch the Hubble.

    Ditching it may be stupid, but this is crazy. 1.6 billion for what? It's replacement is only slated to cost $824.8 million

    Gimmy a freaking break.

  8. Re:Canadian Robot to fix Canadian Telescope by mark0 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Well, actually, do you want to claim the most famously (mis)manufactured bit, the myopic mirror, which I believe was made by Perkin Elmer, or at least tested by them. They appear to be in the US, though I am willing to believe it was a group of kanuckle-heads. The difference between precision and accuracy is an important one...

  9. Re:Why bother? by Short+Circuit · · Score: 2, Interesting

    It's not just an issue of volunteer-fly-fix-land. Training for a mission takes a long time. What would you do if the astronaut expressed reservations once he'd already comitted to the mission?

    But that's not the primary issue, anyway. Astronauts sign up in the first place knowing it's a dangerous job.

    The people who can't stand it being dangerous is the general public, whom I would invite to study commercial and government naval travel from before we had convenient search-and-rescue tools like helicopters, radar and decent weather forecasts. (The latter two more as a prevention mechanism than as a rescue tool.)

    --
    tasks(723) drafts(105) languages(484) examples(29106)
  10. MD Robotics by NeoCode · · Score: 4, Interesting

    MD Robotics has played a vital role in NASA space programs. It's the same company that has built the CanadaArm and CanadaArm2 and is now providing with Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator for HST.

    I am very proud to see Canada (and MD Robotics, since it has a development lab in my hometown) play a vital role in ISS (with CanadaArm and CA2) and now the HST.

  11. Replacement by Engineer-Poet · · Score: 4, Interesting
    Since we have another mirror for it (better than the one in orbit), why not just build another unit of the same design and loft it on an expendable rocket? If we have a replacment in orbit we don't have to worry about the old one, except if we want to put it in a museum instead of the ocean.

    This would also set a precedent for adding new capability instead of spending huge sums to maintain the old stuff. Why shouldn't we have several Hubble-type scopes instead of just one, anyway?

    --

    Sustainability and energy independence essay
  12. Maybe they should... by farzadb82 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Put one of these on each of the remaining space shuttles so taht they can perform tile observation/repair, etc. when necessary without risking any lives.

  13. Re:Why bother? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    The Webb telescope is NOT a replacement for Hubble - it looks at different wavelengths; if we could ever get both of them operating at the same time they could be used in a complimentary fashion.

    Well.. how about this: we say screw Hubble, screw Webb, and get the hell out of Iraq. That way maybe we could pay down the deficit a bit.

  14. Actually... by Ribald · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I'm not going to make any jokes about left handed people being sinister in case they ended up with all the mod points today.

    Okay, it's been a few years since I was in Latin class, but...

    As I recall, the word 'sinister' picked up its present connotation for just this reason. Supposedly (according to my teacher, anyway), since lefties are a statistical minority (what is it--8% of the populace now?) the Romans believed that there was something wrong with anyone who was left-handed. This was attributed to evil spirits or somesuch inhabiting the person. Hence the association of 'sinister' and 'evil'. Really!

    Anyone else heard this, or was my Latin teacher full of it?

    --Ribald

  15. Re:Why the comedians migrated south: by AndroidCat · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Take things on that second site with a big grain of salt. They don't seem to do any fact-checking on submissions to their site. That page may be correct but others certainly aren't (and they've been informed of pages with errors).

    --
    One line blog. I hear that they're called Twitters now.
  16. Re:I for one ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    Actually, you were also here after the Vikings (confirmed) Basque fishermen (oh god, the french beat you here), and it looks more and more like the Chinese as well. Oh, and it wasn't YOU who made it here first, that would be Mr Columbus, who I believe was an agent for Spain. However, knowing the way history works in the US (meaning, you write your version despite what really happened), keep your version. You beat everyone, except the people who were here before you.