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What Will NASA Do With Its Gifted Spy 'Scopes?

Posted by Soulskill on from the regift-them-to-spacex dept.

astroengine writes "NASA has begun surveying scientists on what they would like to do with two Hubble-class space telescopes donated to the civilian space agency by its secretive sibling, the National Reconnaissance Office — which operates the nation's spy satellites. But the gifts have some formidable strings attached, including costs to develop instruments and launch the observatories. The telescopes, though declassified, also are subject to export regulations. 'We need to retain possession and control,' NASA's astrophysics division director Paul Hertz told Discovery News. 'That doesn't preclude us from partnering (with other countries). It just sets boundaries on the nature of the partnership.' NASA also isn't allowed to use the telescopes for any Earth-observing missions. Topping the list of possible missions for the donor hardware is a remake of NASA's planned Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope, known as WFIRST. The mission, estimated to cost between $1.5 billion and $2 billion, is intended to answer questions about dark energy, a relatively recently discovered phenomenon that is believed to be speeding up the universe's rate of expansion."

6 of 129 comments (clear)

  1. Thoughts by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The scientific community fights for years over one Hubble telescope - and some shady agency has two?

    They can afford to "give them away" now. Probably because they have something much better now?

    Am I the only one who thinks there is something simply "wrong" with all this? (And yes, I find it good those things are *now*, better: *finally*, used for science)

    1. Re:Thoughts by X0563511 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      These were designed to look down. Of course they have something better now. If you don't think they can't read the headlines on your newspapers from space you're mistaken.

      I don't see anything wrong with this. When you have other superpowers threatening to glass your country, seeing where they are putting those munitions and such is mandatory.

      The world is not a utopia. We need espionage, if only to try to see it coming.

      --
      For large sets, this will be our guide even unto death, for the LORD will work for each type of data it is applied to...
    2. Re:Thoughts by SJHillman · · Score: 5, Interesting

      NASA has a tiny budget compared to military and intelligence, so it's no surprise that gear NASA has to fight to fund can be given away as surplus or obsolete by another agency.

      I'm just glad, and a bit surprised, the 'free' telescopes weren't scrapped or left to rust in some military warehouse.

    3. Re:Thoughts by Dins · · Score: 5, Funny

      Citizen #312374213 we've noticed a suspicious looking mole on your left upper thigh. You might want to get that checked out...

    4. Re:Thoughts by squiggleslash · · Score: 5, Funny

      Even worse, NASA only got these telescopes because someone accidentally mistyped "NSA" on the PO...

      --
      You are not alone. This is not normal. None of this is normal.
    5. Re:Thoughts by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Because there is a requirement to maintain a certain amount of capability (so if a spy satellite fails, they need to have a spare to launch to replace it in short order), and the long lead times (say 5 to 10 years) to build these satellites, the DoD orders a number of satellites, and some of them may possibly never actually end up being flight vehicles.

      These two satellite 'cores' are just such spares. They weren't launched because a new generation of spy satellites were put into operation before these were needed. There are probably no other examples of these things still in orbit, though the model was probably used for a decade or more.

      Remember, NASA wasn't given two completed satellites, they were given two mirror assembly's and the associated bus and structure. It is up to NASA to design and build a useful science satellite with them.

      As to the DoD having something better, they probably do, but it isn't the mirror that is better, it's that the bus and structure will be of a different design. Optically, the limitation on a downward looking spy satellite will be the atmosphere, not the mirror or other associated optical components.