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Date: 28 Oct 2006 14:08:37
From: Rich
Subject: NASA to squander 14 MORE Shuttle flights on ISS (Hubble in balance)
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What a pathetic waste and risk. Meanwhile, Hubble may languish and
there is no replacement going up for some time....14 flights cost about
$12,000,000,000. More money down the black hole of the ISS. Shuttle
flight to take solar panels to ISS. Russian flight to re-supply the
ISS. Russian flight to man ISS. Shuttle flight to bring people
back....FOR WHAT????
NASA to decide on risky shuttle flight to Hubble
Fri 27, 2006 6:15 PM BST
By Irene Klotz
CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - NASA managers debated on Friday
whether to risk a space shuttle flight on a mission to extend the life
of the Hubble Space Telescope.
The 16-year-old orbital observatory is expected to function for only
two or three more years without a servicing call by space shuttle
astronauts.
Equipment upgrades could keep the world's premier observatory operating
until at least 2013, scientists say.
"We haven't even approached the limits of what we can do with Hubble,"
said senior project scientist David Leckrone with NASA's Goddard Space
Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.
Using the orbiting Hubble telescope, which has captured some of the
most spectacular images of the universe ever recorded, scientists
recently found between eight and 16 new planets near the center of the
Milky Way.
The U.S. space agency had planned a fifth servicing call to the
telescope to install two new science instruments and to replace spent
batteries and faulty steering gyroscopes. But NASA canceled the
servicing after 2003 Columbia disaster.
The space shuttle was destroyed and its seven crew members killed close
to landing because of undetected damage to Columbia's heat shield
during launch.
NASA's safety upgrades after that included in-flight heat shield
inspections and a plan to shelter shuttle astronauts aboard the
International Space Station in the event of similar damage. Crews
heading to Hubble's orbit, however, cannot reach the station and would
have no safety net.
But cancellation of the Hubble servicing drew harsh public criticism
and NASA later vowed to reconsider its decision.
Hubble has been used for an array of research projects including
probing the atmosphere of an extrasolar planet, pinning down the age of
the universe and, more recently, providing evidence of so-called dark
energy, a mysterious force that seems to be powering the universe's
expansion.
With three flights completed since the Columbia disaster and the
shuttle program recovered to the point of resuming construction of the
half-built International Space Station, NASA was prepared to decide
Hubble's fate.
"You just don't have the orbital lifetime on a Hubble mission to be
able to get another vehicle launched. It's going to be very tough,"
deputy shuttle program manager John Shannon said last month.
NASA managers also must weigh the risk of another possible accident to
the overall shuttle program.
The aging shuttle fleet will be retired in 2010 and NASA needs at least
14 more flights to finish building the $100 billion space station, a
project of the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan and Canada.
"There's a risk to the station assembly schedule that you have to
factor in," Herring said.
The agency was to announce its decision on Tuesday.
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Date: 29 Oct 2006 01:08:18
From: Jim Klein
Subject: Re: NASA to squander 14 MORE Shuttle flights on ISS (Hubble in balance)
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You don't think those pictures are real do you?
Imaginering at Disney does wonders. I drove though Red Canyon in UTAH
last year and I just can't get over how real the thing looks. Those
Disney guys are really good.
Astronauts on the Moon. Heh!
"Rich" <rander3127@gmail.com > wrote:
>What a pathetic waste and risk. Meanwhile, Hubble may languish and
>there is no replacement going up for some time....14 flights cost about
>$12,000,000,000. More money down the black hole of the ISS. Shuttle
>flight to take solar panels to ISS. Russian flight to re-supply the
>ISS. Russian flight to man ISS. Shuttle flight to bring people
>back....FOR WHAT????
>
>NASA to decide on risky shuttle flight to Hubble
>Fri 27, 2006 6:15 PM BST
>
>By Irene Klotz
>
>CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - NASA managers debated on Friday
>whether to risk a space shuttle flight on a mission to extend the life
>of the Hubble Space Telescope.
>
>The 16-year-old orbital observatory is expected to function for only
>two or three more years without a servicing call by space shuttle
>astronauts.
>
>Equipment upgrades could keep the world's premier observatory operating
>until at least 2013, scientists say.
>
>"We haven't even approached the limits of what we can do with Hubble,"
>said senior project scientist David Leckrone with NASA's Goddard Space
>Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.
>
>Using the orbiting Hubble telescope, which has captured some of the
>most spectacular images of the universe ever recorded, scientists
>recently found between eight and 16 new planets near the center of the
>Milky Way.
>
>The U.S. space agency had planned a fifth servicing call to the
>telescope to install two new science instruments and to replace spent
>batteries and faulty steering gyroscopes. But NASA canceled the
>servicing after 2003 Columbia disaster.
>
>The space shuttle was destroyed and its seven crew members killed close
>to landing because of undetected damage to Columbia's heat shield
>during launch.
>
>NASA's safety upgrades after that included in-flight heat shield
>inspections and a plan to shelter shuttle astronauts aboard the
>International Space Station in the event of similar damage. Crews
>heading to Hubble's orbit, however, cannot reach the station and would
>have no safety net.
>
>But cancellation of the Hubble servicing drew harsh public criticism
>and NASA later vowed to reconsider its decision.
>
>Hubble has been used for an array of research projects including
>probing the atmosphere of an extrasolar planet, pinning down the age of
>the universe and, more recently, providing evidence of so-called dark
>energy, a mysterious force that seems to be powering the universe's
>expansion.
>
>With three flights completed since the Columbia disaster and the
>shuttle program recovered to the point of resuming construction of the
>half-built International Space Station, NASA was prepared to decide
>Hubble's fate.
>
>"You just don't have the orbital lifetime on a Hubble mission to be
>able to get another vehicle launched. It's going to be very tough,"
>deputy shuttle program manager John Shannon said last month.
>
>NASA managers also must weigh the risk of another possible accident to
>the overall shuttle program.
>
>The aging shuttle fleet will be retired in 2010 and NASA needs at least
>14 more flights to finish building the $100 billion space station, a
>project of the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan and Canada.
>
>"There's a risk to the station assembly schedule that you have to
>factor in," Herring said.
>
>The agency was to announce its decision on Tuesday.
James E. Klein
jameseklein@earthlink.net
Engineering Calculations
http://www.ecalculations.com
ecalculations@ecalculations.com
Engineering Calculations is the home of
the KDP-2 Optical Design Program
for Windows.
1-818-507-5706 (Voice and Fax)
1-818-823-4121
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