Hubble Servicing Mission #4 |
Hubble Servicing Mission #4 |
Jun 13 2008, 06:47 AM
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#1
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The Poet Dude Group: Moderator Posts: 5551 Joined: 15-March 04 From: Kendal, Cumbria, UK Member No.: 60 |
You HAVE to go look at this new video... the hairs on your neck will literally stand up.
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Jul 14 2008, 06:33 AM
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Member Group: Members Posts: 191 Joined: 20-November 06 From: Saint Louis Member No.: 1376 |
I doubt any part of Hubble will survive re-entry. Maybe some small charred bits here and there, but Hubble's re-entry will be targeted over ocean, so those tiny bits will surely be lost to the sea. There's a vast difference between a Mercury capsule and Hubble.
Thinking about all this did remind me of the biggest constraint towards any shuttle mission to Hubble. In fact, it's the one thing that has made this current mission so difficult; the lack of "safe haven" on the ISS if there was any significant damage to the shuttle during launch. STS-125 is essentially a two-shuttle mission. Atlantis will launch to Hubble, and meanwhile Endeavour will be poised on the other pad just in case a rescue mission is needed. So any Hubble mission needs two tanks, four boosters and two fully processed shuttles to pull it off. Though it's sad not to have the telescope itself on the ground, the photographic and scientific catalogue Hubble has compiled will last for many many generations. So even without the telescope physically present, its legacy will long be remembered. (We still have many more years of observations to make with Hubble, so let's not get ahead of ourselves. ) -------------------- - Matt
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