New Mars Forums

Mark S

Banned

Registered: 2002-04-11

Posts: 343

Re: Hubble II

With all the controversy surrounding the cancellation of the last Hubble repair mission, there is one question that isn't being asked enough.  How much would it cost to build a new telescope, and would it be competitive with the cost of a Hubble repair?

I don't think it would be too expensive to build another Hubble.  The original Hubble was allegedly based on the KH-11 spy sat.  Why couldn't we modify an in-production spy sat, add the already-built instruments intended for Hubble, and launch it on a Delta IV heavy?

Of course, that approach is mired in the old and inefficient ways of thought.  Using foldable mirrors, we could build much smaller space telescopes that could be launched on smaller rockets like Pegasus.  These would cost even more to develop than Hubble II, but it would result in a series of inexpensive small-sat telescopes.  Rather than doing a repair mission, they would simply be de-orbited and replaced with new telescopes when their lives expire.

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"I'm not much of a 'hands-on' evil scientist."--Dr. Evil, "Goldmember"

Ad Astra

Member

Registered: 2003-02-02

Posts: 584

Re: Hubble II

Found another opinion piece at http://www.thespacereview.com/article/257/1]The Space Review giving some support to a Hubble-II.  One advantage is cost; another is the ability to reach a higher orbit that is better for astronomy purposes and protecting the telescope from atmospheric drag.

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Who needs Michael Griffin when you can have Peter Griffin?  Catch "Family Guy" Sunday nights on FOX.

SpaceNut

Administrator

From: New Hampshire

Registered: 2004-07-22

Posts: 29,428

Re: Hubble II

There has been much of the discusion on replacing hubble under Topic: Hubble mistake, Action needed
Topic: James Webb Space Telescope, Not a Hubble replacement but to the next
Topic: Might Shuttle C, save Hubble?
Topic: $300M to destroy hubble

And these are just a few of the areas that you will enconter the discusion with regards to sending up a new telescope, the fall of the old one and under the science technology you will find out that there are many planned, currently being built and other reasons for why not to even send up a new telescope not to mention why repair the old one.

Half the hardware to build a new one is already built and the only real way to use it would be to fly a shuttle mission in the timeframe that Hubble has left before battery and gyro fails continue until the telescope is crippled and not worth further investment.

In fact it may all ready be to late....

Yang Liwei Rocket

Member

Registered: 2004-03-03

Posts: 993

Re: Hubble II

There has been much of the discusion on replacing hubble under http://www.newmars.com/forums/viewtopic … 1996]Topic: Hubble mistake, Action needed
http://www.newmars.com/forums/viewtopic … 2191]Topic: James Webb Space Telescope, Not a Hubble replacement but to the next
http://www.newmars.com/forums/viewtopic … 2133]Topic: Might Shuttle C, save Hubble?
http://www.newmars.com/forums/viewtopic … 3148]Topic: $300M to destroy hubble

And these are just a few of the areas that you will enconter the discusion with regards to sending up a new telescope, the fall of the old one and under the science technology you will find out that there are many planned, currently being built and other reasons for why not to even send up a new telescope not to mention why repair the old one.

Half the hardware to build a new one is already built and the only real way to use it would be to fly a shuttle mission in the timeframe that Hubble has left before battery and gyro fails continue until the telescope is crippled and not worth further investment.

In fact it may all ready be to late....

http://www.felixonline.co.uk/2002-04/ar … p?aid=2251

these guys also think James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) will be the space-bound successor to Hubble,
not 2 launch until 2011 

But it looks great 

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'first steps are not for cheap, think about it...
did China build a great Wall in a day ?' ( Y L R newmars forum member )

dicktice

Member

From: Nova Scotia, Canada

Registered: 2002-11-01

Posts: 1,764

Re: Hubble II

Re. retention of the Hubble Space Telescope in operation for as long as possible, I stumbled upon this item:

He [Edwin Hubble] had assisted greatly in the design of the 200-inch Hale telescope, and had served on the Mount Wilson Observatory Advisory Committee for building the Mount Palomar Observatory. "With the 200-inch," he said in a BBC broadcast in London," we may grasp what now we can scarcely brush with our fingertips." "What do you expect to find with the 200-inch?" he was asked, and he replied, "We hope to find something we hadn't expected."