Extended life for Hubble?
Posted: Wed May 02, 2007 9:46 pm
The April 30 issue of Aviation Week reports that there is a possibility of servicing the Hubble even after the Shuttle is retired. Next year's servicing mission will attach a docking ring that is compatible with the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle that is being developed. This would leave open the possibility of future servicing by astronauts, though there is no plan to do this right now. The current plan is to develop a robotic module to de-orbit Hubble.
Since Hubble has unique ultraviolet and visible imaging capabilities that won't be matched by the James Webb Space Telescope or anything else on the drawing boards, let's keep our fingers and toes crossed that a further extension of Hubble's life will prove feasible.
Since Hubble has unique ultraviolet and visible imaging capabilities that won't be matched by the James Webb Space Telescope or anything else on the drawing boards, let's keep our fingers and toes crossed that a further extension of Hubble's life will prove feasible.