Herschel Space Telescope Opens For the First Time

davecl writes "The Herschel space telescope, the largest ever launched into space, has opened its instrument cover, allowing its three instruments to observe for the first time. BBC news has the main coverage, while there is more coverage on the SPIRE instrument team website, and on the mission blog. I'm part of the SPIRE instrument team and the excitement as we move towards our first observations is building fast. The PACS and SPIRE instruments will see first light in the next few days."

Comments

Repair?

[Tablizer]

I wonder if they designed any of it to be repaired in space, learning from Hubble. (It's not a direct competitor to Hubble because it "sees" in longer wavelengths.)

I wonder if it would have been cheaper to build *multiple* Hubbles rather than repair them in space, which costs about a half-billion per mission. However, they'd have to decide that path in advanced to take advantage of bulk assembly procedures. Or build them to be remotely serviceable thru a repair-bot? But that's mostly untried technology, which usually means expensive or unpredictable overrun risk.
     

Re:it is not the "largest evel launched into space

[spidercoz]

Infrared can pass through dust, such as that which composes nebulae, that would block other wavelengths.