if we let NASA abandon hubble as they propose...

[Hayabusa Rider]

Originally posted by: effee
Do you really think that if we discovered an asteroid, say the size of texas, even a year away we could do anything about it?

There is no such object. It would have been seen long ago. It's the kilometer sized ones that are the problem. If we can map their orbits accurately, then we know what the dangers are. If we had a year to prepare, we probably couldnt do much, but that is unlikely to be a problem. The chances of something that size hitting us the first time it comes by are pretty slim.

We don't get hit often with something that big, so we should not have a problem for several centuries at least. By then we should be able to remove any threat. That assumes the much more likely scenario of us destroying ourselves doens't happen first.

 

[YetioDoom]

Originally posted by: SaltBoy
Cue cheesy Aerosmith song here...

I DON'T WANNA CLOSE MY EYES!!!

 

[sao123]

As I recall, there are 2 new Gyroscopes, batteries, & a new research instrument which itself cost over $120 Million already assembeled & paid for. Ready and awaiting the service mission. Would it not be far better to spend the money, than to waste these new instruments?

 

[Armitage]

Originally posted by: sao123
As I recall, there are 2 new Gyroscopes, batteries, & a new research instrument which itself cost over $120 Million already assembeled & paid for. Ready and awaiting the service mission. Would it not be far better to spend the money, than to waste these new instruments?

When you consider what a full-up service mission could cost (estimates range to $2B), and that the instrument can likely be used on a replacement to hubble, I don't think that's very persuasive.

 

[K1052]

Originally posted by: sao123
As I recall, there are 2 new Gyroscopes, batteries, & a new research instrument which itself cost over $120 Million already assembeled & paid for. Ready and awaiting the service mission. Would it not be far better to spend the money, than to waste these new instruments?

IIRC, a shuttle launch alone cost around $500 Million before the Columbia accident. I'm sure that has gone up a bit now.

 

[sharkeeper]

That's a pretty narrow minded assessment. While the hubble has certainly had its share of problems, it is still a enourmously useful instrument.

Perhaps but its day is over. Get over it. It's a done deal. And yes it was flawed from the beginning.

 

[silverpig]

Originally posted by: sharkeeper

That's a pretty narrow minded assessment. While the hubble has certainly had its share of problems, it is still a enourmously useful instrument.

Perhaps but its day is over. Get over it. It's a done deal. And yes it was flawed from the beginning.

Its day is far from over. You can still do a lot of useful science with Hubble. And it wasn't flawed from the beginning. The mirror company just fvcked up. The design was great. Actually the costar correction lens system brings it back to what it was supposed to be (with some light loss of course).

 

[Malak]

What have we learned of any importance by having it up there?

 

[silverpig]

Originally posted by: malak
What have we learned of any importance by having it up there?

The biggest thing has been using Hubble to look at supernova type 1a brightnesses at different redshifts. This gave us the fact that the expansion of the universe is accelerating, which is one of the biggest discoveries in cosmology since Hubble first found the expansion of the universe (funny thing is Hubble's discovery got Einstein to drop his cosmological constant, calling it the biggest blunder of his career, and the Hubble space telescope found evidence supporting Einstein's cosmological constant after all).

Hubble has also done a lot of work on extra solar planets as well.

 

[Locut0s]

They are letting Hubble die because the politicians are cowards. Ask just about any of the astronauts, I've seen at least one interview, and they will tell you they would volunteer to help fix it in a heart beat. Hubble has done more to advance our understanding of the universe and spur public interest than almost any other scientific tool in human history. Instead the politicians are only willing to fund finishing the space station, a horribly overpriced and scientifically almost worthless project because fixing Hubble would be "too dangerous". Too dangerous? Tell that to the astronauts, many of whom are experienced test pilots have years of flight training and are more than willing to take the risk. To say nothing of the fact that they are essentially strapping themselves to an atom bomb every time they go up anyways.