Two Tech Updates For Near Space

albino eatpod writes: "According to this CNN article, the first week of March will see a major overhaul on the Hubble Space Telescope. Given that the telescope is 12 years old, it's looking like it will well outlive the projected 15 year lifespan originally slated." And Andrew Robertson writes: "After a lot of hoopla about NASA projects getting shelved, the crew return vehicle for the space station met another milestone. The propulsion stage for deorbiting the first one (prototype) has been delivered :). The only remaining test flight before they put one is orbit (for orbital tests) is a supersonic flight. ATA BOY to all Aerojet engineers."

Fixing Hubble may kill it

[Anonymous Coward]

If you check some of the NASA sites, even NASA isn't sure Hubble will come back to life when they turn it back on. After 12 years without a power cycle they're not sure what will happen once they turn it off. Stuck relays, bad capacitors, components cooling off,... so many things to go wrong. They may end up with an orbiting pile of junk.

How times change public perception...

[mfarah]

Given that the telescope is 12 years old, it's looking like it will well outlive the projected 15 year lifespan originally slated.

I remember all the crap Hubble took when it had been just deployed and the public scandal about the defective lens - "Paperweight in space", they said.

And now, after the correction it endured, and thanks to its continuous flood of information, no one even dares talking about it without respect.

Long Live Hubble! I, geek, salute you!

(mod me down if you will, I HAD to say this)

RE: Aerojet Engineers

[nickynicky9doors]

"He presented plaques to nearly 100 people who worked on the program."

Having just completed a sampling of my small universe of all persons with professional designations I have come to the opinion, upon which I base my fact, that engineers receive more plaques than all other professionals combined. What can we draw from this conclusion? In the recessed, dopamine stained, reptilian centre of Dilbert's brain does motherhood, succor and peer approbation hold four square and brass embossed. Is there some hidden trigger mechanism that tells engineers when migration and mating time is nigh by the slowly evolving shades of dust and aging accruing at the edges of each plaque? We know engineers fathered geekdom, signaling the coming of the newbie order by the sign of the once recondite pocket protector, but what of plaques, what secrets transpire among the rows of plaques, rack on rack?

OK so I can't do comedy :-)

HST

[adminispheroid]

"A filter that blocks out bright light"? Sometimes it's difficult finding the connection between CNN science news and reality.

Serious space junkies will want to check out the SM3B web site [nasa.gov]. In particular has lots of tech info about the stuff getting installed, and for your idle moments has webcams viewing the clean room and launch pad.

More curtosey of the BBC

[gkbarr]

It looks like the Hubble is giving the pharse "cold boot" [bbc.co.uk] a whole new meaning. I really hope that all goes well on this mission. The photos [hubblesite.org] from Hubble are absolutely spectacular.

-G

More info at Washington Post

[Bruce.Schwalm]

The Washington Post has an article here. [washingtonpost.com] It ends with the sentiment "Failure is NOT an option". Anybody remember the lens repair mission? I had almost as much fun watching that as I did watching Alan Shepard's and John Glenn's first rides into space.

Re:More info at Washington Post

[FTL]

>Anybody remember the lens repair mission? I had almost as much fun watching that as I did watching Alan Shepard's and John Glenn's first rides into space.

Unfortunately I'm of the post-Apollo generation. I would give a great deal to have been a part of those days. The consolation is that with luck I'll live to see a cheap air-breathing space launch system which will kick off a second golden age of space exploration.

As for that first repair mission you mentioned (STS-61), I'll never forget it. The live video of them throwing the defective solar array overboard, then watching it undulate and spin as it was hit by the shuttle's exhaust was unforgettable. Even the busy astronauts were awestruck. They just stood there and watched as it disappeared astern, then in an amazing demonstration of orbital mechanics, turned around and swept ahead of the shuttle.

The next day none of the news channels bothered showing more than a few seconds of that episode. And I've been unable to find it on the net. I wish we had greater access to NASA's archives, I'd love to see that again.