NASA head vows to examine all options to save Hubble

Articles: NASA head vows to examine all options to save Hubble

Posted by admin on Thursday, July 15, 2004 - 02:36 AM

NASA administrator Sean O'Keefe has assured that the National Aeronautics and Space Administration will examine all options to extend the life of the Hubble space telescope, but made no commitment on a manned flight, a statement said.
Mr O'Keefe was reacting to a report by a panel of experts from the National Academy of Sciences that said "NASA should take no action that would preclude a space shuttle servicing mission to the Hubble space telescope." The NASA chief in January cancelled a shuttle flight scheduled for 2005 in favor of a robotic mission that would allow the telescope to function until 2011, when it is scheduled to be replaced by a new observatory. The decision stemmed from new security criteria for shuttle flights adopted after the destruction of the shuttle Columbia in February 2003. All future shuttle flights scheduled to resume in March 2005 will head for the International Space Station to allow astronauts to ensure the spacecraft was not damaged during take-off as Columbia was, giving them the option to chance to take refuge aboard the station in case of a problem. In his statement, Mr O'Keefe does not bring up the issue of manned space flight but recalls that "the challenges of a robotic mission are under examination and we'll continue our exhaustive and aggressive efforts to assess innovative servicing options." Mr O'Keefe promised to "keep options open to assure the best possible outcome" and said he agreed with the panel's view that Hubble was "the most important telescope in history." Hubble needs new batteries and gyroscopes. A decision to cancel a space flight to service the telescope has prompted scientists and members of Congress to launch a campaign demanding that its life be extended. If nothing is done, Hubble, built to last until the end of 2005, could still survive until 2007. Its power is used to maneuver the telescope to face various parts of the universe astronomers want to view, and to maintain the internal temperature to prevent instruments from freezing.

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