Hubble celebrates 15th aniversary

[Lancer]

http://www.space.com/php/multimedia/zoomviewer/index.php?display_img=hubble_anniv2

[DRoseDARs]

/me waits for the fireworks as Hubble is deorbited...

[Jon Miller]

Such an old and outdated piece of equpiment. It needs replaced.

Jon Miller

[DRoseDARs]

And is planned to be by the end of the decade, but until then it can still gather useful data.

[Jon Miller]

It takes money to keep it up though. Honestly I would rather that money went to new equipment. Now if we had the option of that money being used for Hubble or for Pork for Senators I would want it used for Hubble of course.

Jon Miller

[DRoseDARs]

I may be mistaken (I was already corrected in the solar panel thread), but isn't the Hubble's replacement already under construction? I would think it would have to be in order to be ready for a 2009-11 launch. Don't scientific probes/satellites usually take about a decade to build?

[Jon Miller]

They take a while. I think a decade is a bit long, but I don't know that much on the details.

Jon Miller

[Ecthy]

Jon, scientific Space Flight just isn't too much of a profitable sector, yet. No replacement for Hubble would be more profitable than it. they're just trying to save the money they need to 1984 YOU.

[alva]

Hubble

One of the best projects yet.

[Jon Miller]

Originally posted by Ecthelion
Jon, scientific Space Flight just isn't too much of a profitable sector, yet. No replacement for Hubble would be more profitable than it. they're just trying to save the money they need to 1984 YOU.

by profitable I mean from the scientific standpoint

Hubble is old technology

(I am well aware that the hubble and hubble type apparatus will never be profitable)

Jon Miller

[Ecthy]

it still produces cool pictures. you got a better camera up there? will you get one up there before scrapping Hubble?

[Jon Miller]

no

but if I have an option between having to wait longer for a better camera, or not being able to take pictures for a while and getting a better camera earlier

I would get the better camera earlier

JM

[DRoseDARs]

I doubt destroying the Hubble will expedite the deployment of its replacement. And most people would choose to be able to take pictures while waiting to save enough for a newer camera. Kinda like people running a car into the ground before getting a new (or used) one. Hubble still works, still collects "useful" data, and is still a symbol of our collective scientific curiosity.

Here's an offical site:

http://hubble.nasa.gov/overview/faq.php

How much does Hubble cost?

Initially Hubble cost $1.5 billion to build and put into orbit.

Hubble's total budget in one year is in the range $230-250 million. That money does more than simply keep Hubble operating on a daily basis. In addition to operational costs, the total dollar figure includes funds for scientific data analysis, as well as for the development of future hardware and its associated software.

The concept of servicing Hubble to upgrade its instruments rather than launching a whole new telescope has saved billions of dollars.

That last bit I don't pay much credence too. Conservation is great and all, but Hubble IS getting old and it would be difficult to keep servicing it. The time has come for it to be replaced, though it can stand to be used a little while longer in the mean time.

[Qilue]

Originally posted by Jon Miller
Such an old and outdated piece of equpiment. It needs replaced.

Jon Miller

[sarcasm]Yes, old space junk needs to to scrapped because it records no useful information.[/sarcasm]

[Jon Miller]

no

it is just if an old peice of equpiment is taking all my money, than it needs to be gotten rid of to open up for new equpiment

same reason why the shuttle needs retired

JM