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NASA Ponders What To Do With a Pair of Free Space Telescopes

Posted by Unknown on from the scientists-use-mirror-to-incinerate-kremlin dept.

scibri writes "A few months ago, the secretive National Reconnaissance Office gave NASA two Hubble-sized space telescopes that it didn't want anymore. Now the space agency has to figure out what to do with them, and whether it can afford it. The leading candidate to use one of the telescopes is the the proposed Wide-Field Infrared Space Telescope (WFIRST), which would search for the imprint of dark energy, find exoplanets and study star-forming regions of the Galaxy. The NRO telescope could speed up the mission, but may end up costing more in the long run." A few issues with re-purposing the NRO satellite: higher launch costs because it's bigger, it can't see as far or as much IR (but it can see fainter objects, and could be used in planet detection), and the need for a bigger camera.

5 of 97 comments (clear)

  1. Wider Access by jythie · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Getting time on the big telescopes has always been a bit of a trial since they are a limited resource and there are a lot of people who want to use them.

    These telescopes do not need some special unique mission/purpose.. just having more capacity and schedule time for a wider group of scientists would be worthwhile right there, at least to the people who get time on them.

    1. Re:Wider Access by icebike · · Score: 4, Insightful

      And in order to lift those scopes to their viewing points, you've got to have a solid business plan that shows how these users will be committed enough to justify the investment.

      Business plan?

      What part of Astronomy is based on business plans?
      Even if someone is willing to pay to use a telescope somewhere, it's always with grant money. There is no market at work here, its pure science, with little hope of any gain other than knowledge for knowledge's sake.

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  2. Hire two more astronomers. by jellomizer · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I mean an Astronomer with a job is a rare thing.

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  3. Telescopes/Microscopes by Tator+Tot · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I always found it funny how NASA used the picture-taking satellites as telescopes, while the NRO and DoD uses them more like microscopes.

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  4. Interesting choice of priorities by TheDarkMaster · · Score: 5, Insightful

    While NASA literally struggled to raise funds to build one Hubble, the NRO had the funds to build many more than three "Hubbles."

    (The NRO showed two completed and parts for a third, imagine how many others actually went into space)

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