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Astronauts Should Fix Hubble

Posted by michael on from the just-do-it-already dept.

Re-Pawn writes "NASA urged to send shuttle to Hubble - Astronauts, not robots, should fix the Hubble Space Telescope, says a new report by the US National Research Council (NRC). That conclusion is directly at odds with NASA, which is opposed to a human mission on safety grounds, following the Columbia disaster."

2 of 67 comments (clear)

  1. O'Keefe (!NASA) is opposed, safety not the issue by Attitude+Adjuster · · Score: 4, Informative
    It is NASA's administrator that is opposed to a shuttle mission to Hubble, but that is not a consensus opinion, nor is it based on any scientific or engineering recommendation. We could discuss why that is - the answer is his career in politics. Word is O'Keefe may be rewarded for his loyalty and ability to make tough unpopular decisions by the WH and get a higer profile job in the administration...

    Furthermore, as the National Academy of Sciences panel, and other panels before it, have said, the difference in safety (or chance of disaster, which ever way you want to look at it) of a single shuttle mission to Hubble is essentially the same as that of a single mission to the space station. The astronauts, when asked, all were in favor of going to fix Hubble. And they're much more likely to get the job done than the robotic mission, which is rather unlikely to work (read the NAS press release)

    Of course, the plan is for 25-30 missions to the ISS, so the chances of horrendous disaster doing that is far higher cumulatively.

  2. But.. but.. the Hubble only had a 10-year mission. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    The Hubble was only designed to last 10 years. By the time of it's projected failure given no more servicing missions - it will have accomplished 90% of it's mission.

    Given the phenomonal cost of fixing the hubble - when it is past it's end-of-life design date - it is my opinion that the effort (and money) is better spent on a new, much improved, replacement.

    Look at the cost of fixing Hubble (and extend it's life for maybe another 2 years) vs. cost of a new one (which will last at least 10 years). In the past 10 years, design and manufacturing costs of spacecraft have dropped - you'd get much better value with new modern technology rather than keeping the ancient tech. up and running.

    Using such necrotic deathtraps as the Shuttle to fix the Hubble is an unnecessary, extremely dangerous idea - not to mention foolish.