Follow Slashdot stories on Twitter

 


Forgot your password?
Close
typodupeerror
×
Space Science

Hubble Getting an Upgrade 31

Posted by timothy from the all-new-appliances dept.
instinctdesign writes: "The New York Times (free registration of course) is running a story on the planned upgrades to the one of NASA's greatest successes, the Hubble Space Telescope. Here is a quote from the article about the plans: 'Tasks include adding a new primary camera, replacing the telescope's electricity-generating solar arrays, replacing the main power switching controller, replacing a critical pointing device and installing an experimental cooling system in hopes of reviving a dormant instrument.'"
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.

Hubble Getting an Upgrade More

Hubble Getting an Upgrade

Comments Filter:
  • ... to find Osama Bin Laden? I mean - it can't be much of a job pointing Hubble towards the earth instead of the faint stars? It would have been great to see some of the boring pictures of stars light years away been swapped with Bin Laden taking a shower.

    --
    Evil Attraction

    • Actually, they are... (Score:2, Informative)

      by mbessey ( 304651 )
      The KH-12 reconnaissance satellite is essentially just that - a Hubble Space Telescope, pointing down, instead of up. There aren't enough intelligence analysts and satellites available to keep the whole planet under surveillance 24/7, though.

      more information about spy satellites [fas.org]



      -Mark

    • While I'm pretty sure that was a joke, I feel obligated to point out (since there is often confusion on this point) that HST cannot look at the Earth's surface. First of all, it isn't designed to handle looking through an atmosphere. Secondly, and more importantly, the brightness of the Earth would send it into safe mode instantly. As it is, HST can't look at the Sun or Moon, and Earth is much more reflective than the Moon.
      • the brightness of the Earth would send it into safe mode instantly. As it is, HST can't look at the Sun or Moon, and Earth is much more reflective than the Moon.

        True, but they could point it at the darkside [amazon.com] of the planet, and if the President is any kind of authority, then we know for a fact that Osama is on the darkside [amazon.com].

  • Some thoughts (Score:3, Interesting)

    by The Mayor ( 6048 ) on Tuesday February 19, 2002 @02:13AM (#3030508)
    This is good news. Yes, Hubble is indeed one of NASA's greatest successes. Remember when it was first launched, though? Everyone was talking about what a lemon it was. What a turnaround.

    By the way, isn't NASA supposed to launch a successor to the Hubble in 2006? Is that still in the plans? The Hubble is wonderful, but it was built in something like 1981 (after which it sat in storage for a decade, deforming the mirrors). Just think what can be done with technology from the 2000's.
    • Wasn't it a paint fleck or something that caused all the trouble with the mirror?
      Apparently this caused the mirror to be cut wrong, and they had to fix the problem by reversing the error in miniature, with a set of three small mirrors.
      So even leaving it in storage couldn't have done that much to it, it was stuffed from the start.
      • There were two mirrors made, and the company which made one of the mirrors (Company P) got to ``test'' them and decide which went to space. The mechanism they used to make their mirror, and also to check the mirrors was stuffed. Some the other mirror (made by Company K) stayed on the ground, and the buggered one flew. The rest, as they say, is history.

        • The stupid part is that the "stuffed" instrument wasn't the only one used to test with. Another instrument indicated that the mirror may be flawed, but it was of lesser precision than the other. They went with the results of the more precise one. Too bad it was screwed up.

    • The Next Generation Space Telescope (NGST) [nasa.gov] is the successor to Hubble. It is scheduled to launch in 2009.
    • Just think what can be done with technology from the 2000's

      Looking at what they are replacing I would say there wouldn't be much of a difference between the upgraded hubble and technology from the 2000's... I don't know a lot about this but I would say that most of the important stuff has been replaced within the last couple of years?? But that doesn't mean that we shouldn't launch anything new of course... I'm looking forward to that too

  • Eh? (Score:3, Funny)

    by Alexius ( 148791 ) <alexiusNO@SPAMnauticom.net> on Tuesday February 19, 2002 @02:27AM (#3030552) Homepage
    ...replacing a critical pointing device ...


    So, Is The New One An Opitcal, Or Wireless Mouse?

    • It's like the classic story of the US space-biro and the Russian lead pencils.

      The US decided to use an optical mouse for the pointing device on the Hubble, but the Russian designed Hubbliski which never got off the ground due to lack of funding simply used a brown stick.
  • Didn't Mike break that in MST3K?
  • We wil still be hearing about that same piece of flawed glass orbiting the earth taking better and better pictures with cameras that have been replace 10 times. Not that this would be a bad thing. All the Telescopes built on Kitt Peak are still in service in one form or another. The state of the art at the time .9m scope is now used by students while the new 4m scope is used by professionals. The expensive and heavy part being the glass, We will keep it in orbit and wrap new instruments around it until it gets hit by something big, like a bolt from Apollo 13.
    • Actually, no. Hubble only has 5-10 years left to it. The NGST (Next Generation Space Telescope) is already being planned to replace it. They plan to bring HST down in the shuttle for eventual installation in the Smithsonian. (At least, this is what I last heard.) I happen to know that the final instrument that will go into HST is being built right now, so it won't be long before HST gets its last upgrade.

  • Is this article... (Score:4, Funny)

    by SpaceLifeForm ( 228190 ) on Tuesday February 19, 2002 @04:50AM (#3030737)
    ...mirrored?
  • ...which, oh joy, also features as a customized slashbox in your preferences!
    Anyway, here's the link [hubblesite.org].

Slashdot Top Deals

Never test for an error condition you don't know how to handle. -- Steinbach

Close