Should Hubble die?
 

http://wwwimage.cbsnews.com/images/2...age595282x.jpg

I really believe, for the betterment of mankind, O'Keefe should send another shuttle up to make repairs to this telescope. What do you guys think?

I agree. Especially since it seems they're still getting valuable pics 'n info.

Is NASA still planning on sending some robots up there to fix it?

I'm all for it.

i think we should implement reagan's star wars program, and use it for target practice. we have spent too much money on it so far. reminds me of my 911, maybe we should just spend the money on an SC...opps, i mean another telescope with a nicer shinier mirror.

I'd like to see it fixed but then I'm all for the exploration of space. What's the cost of one less day at war versus the betterment of the human race worth? The money's there, it just needs to be spent more wisely.

Keep it in service 'til the new one's ready...

It may no longer be "state of the art" but it's producing better views of the universe than anything else.

Keep it, I say.

i wonder if they could aim it at the playboy mansion? that would me hitech! as long as they edit out hef.

Oh c'mon! Emerging galaxies are much more beautiful than emerging silicone. ;)

Sounds like another San Francisco Liberal idea to me....

Here's a recent catch by the Hubble....a million second snapshot http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040311/ap_on_sc/earliest_galaxies_6

and stuff like this is cool:
"The snapshot of the universe, called the Ultra Deep Field, captured light that streaked through space for more than 13 billion years, starting its journey when the universe was only 5 percent of its 13.7-billion-year age."

"Astronomers said the view reaches to the very edge of what is known as the "Dark Ages" in the evolution of the universe."

[QUOTE]Originally posted by RickM
[B] http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040311/ap_on_sc/earliest_galaxies_6

Looks photoshopped to me! :D

damn it all, the warranty is about to expire.

Unfortunately this whole man-on-mars and/or moon election platform is helping to keep the nessary funds away from needed re-investment.

I think the scientific community is lobbying pretty heavily for Hubble to prevail.

funny tabs. it is well documented that i think all the homeless should be sent to las vegas. and we wouldnt have an illegal alien problem if we ....nevermind. just kidding everybody, tabs is not going to drag me down:)

O'Keefe's decision to abanbon the Hubble was influenced by safety concerns with the shuttle fleet returning to service. The only missions planned, for the immediate future, are round-trips to the space station. If the future shuttle launches result in damage to the craft, crew members can hang out at the spacestation and wait to get rescued.

I can't fault O'Keefe's concern for safety; it is his name and face that will be forever tied to the images of scorched fragments flying through the Texas sky. Who wouldn't want a chance to improve on such a record? His plan to return the fleet to service, then, is akin to to the use of a prophylactic device. Staying on the launch pad would be like using three prophylactic devices, but that's not an option. Mr. O'Keefe seems a likable, personable guy, and at least in part due to those personal qualities, was given the option to fall on his sword, or return the shuttle fleet to a perceivable safe standard of operation. When and if he completes that mission, I would expect him to step down, and NASA might yet re-invest in the Hubble.

I like to ponder over what science tidbits I can understand when the astronomers and physicists try to explain it in laymen's terms. It seems for every answer, a hunderd more questions spring up.

Ed

Fix it! 'nuff said.

Im for maintaining it as well!! The Hubble has taken some of the greatest pictures of all time, and they want to just pull the plug for safety reasons...... thats bull$hit!!! Every one of those people aboard the missions knows that they have a chance at a 1 way ticket, hell your going into space for cryin out loud. So O'Keefe is gonna let everything fall apart to save his own rep. What a selfish fool.

I would go up there in a heartbeat!!! Maybe I wouldn't come back!!:confused: Maybe I would float off into space!! Its all worth the risk. IMO

I was studying Cosmology when the Hubble was in its final phases before launch and, I gotta say, that freaking telescope is awesome and turned a lot of peoples' eyes to the heavens.
Repair it, upgrade it, do whatever it takes to preserve it. It is a monument to man's curiosity and industry.

JP

And just where do you folks who say "spend the money on the poor" think the money is going? Did they stuff thousand dollar bills in the thing and launch it? That money pays scientists, engineers, janitors, clerks, and thousands of suppliers who all in turn pay TAXES. Those taxes help the disadvantaged while the salaries keep others from being on the dole. Simple economics. Mankind's greatest asset is its curiosity, and that makes us special. Keep the exploration going.

fix it, keep useing it!