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Instead of Revamping Hubble, Replace It

Posted by timothy on from the oh-what-the-heck-it's-free-right dept.

Neil Halelamien writes "Astronomy Magazine reports that an international team of astronomers has proposed an alternative to sending a robotic or human repair mission to the ailing Hubble Space Telescope. Their proposal is to build a new Hubble Origins Probe, reusing the Hubble design but using lighter and more cost-effective technologies. The probe would include instruments currently waiting to be installed on Hubble, as well as a Japanese-built imager which 'will allow scientists to map the heavens more than 20 times faster than even a refurbished Hubble Space Telescope could.' It would take an estimated 65 months and under $1 billion to build, less than the estimated cost of a service mission."

11 of 440 comments (clear)

  1. $1 Billion by Jace+of+Fuse! · · Score: 3, Funny

    It would take an estimated 65 months and under $1 billion to build

    Yes, and for a limited time this baby can be yours for ONLY $999,999,999.99!

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    1. Re:$1 Billion by Preeminence · · Score: 3, Funny

      Or call within the next 20 minutes and get it on FlexPay for three easy payments of $333,333,333.33! Please include $10,000,000 for shipping & handling.

  2. Disposable Science! by bigattichouse · · Score: 3, Funny

    Hey, Why build something you can repair when you could just buy a 10 pack of disposables. Sure, it might be *less* wasteful to build a new one from scratch, but it just seems such a sign of the times. Maybe they could get Gillette to sponsor the project.

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    meh
    1. Re:Disposable Science! by HunterZ · · Score: 3, Funny
      Hey, Why build something you can repair when you could just buy a 10 pack of disposables. Sure, it might be *less* wasteful to build a new one from scratch, but it just seems such a sign of the times. Maybe they could get Gillette to sponsor the project.
      Yeah, then they could call it the "Stubble" space telescope.
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  3. By the way... by Faust7 · · Score: 4, Funny

    Can we get this lens right the first time, too? :)

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  4. Re:Privatize It!!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    adult sites spying on beaches

  5. rho-bawt by mnemonic_ · · Score: 5, Funny

    How about we send a robotic telescope instead? One with arms so that it could fix the Hubble, look at the stars and then hurl large rocks at the teeming citizens below...

  6. Re:65 months.. by Infinityis · · Score: 4, Funny

    You're right, 65 months is too long. For comparison, that's almost 100 Canadian months!

  7. A much cheaper approach . . . by Dausha · · Score: 2, Funny

    Would it not be much cheaper to make the images it sends back using Photo Shop? I mean, think of the savings!

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  8. blow the f-er up by PhatCobra · · Score: 2, Funny

    i say we blow it up like they do with the casinos... f-in a.

  9. Re:Why is this news item under IT? by the+pickle · · Score: 4, Funny

    It's here for the great colour scheme.

    p

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