Although it will not be possible to replace the camera and the broken gyroscopes, at least it will be possible to extend some time until it may be possible to send astronauts to it.
The Hubble Space Telescope may get a makeover after all, as NASA has agreed to explore ways to service it using a robot.
As recalled in January, the Hal agency stated that it is no longer willing to risk astronauts on a visit to resupply and upgrade, and therefore it actually limits its life to a few years.
In response to pressure from politicians and astronomers, NASA has now agreed to look at other options for an upgrade. NASA says that the agency does not guarantee anything and that it is possible that the test will not change the opinion of its leaders.
The agency's director, Sean O'Keefe, was skeptical about the re-examination. O'Keefe's Jan. 16 announcement that for safety reasons he would not allow a fourth shuttle mission to upgrade the observatory's instruments and replace broken gyroscopes immediately drew opposition from astronomers and politicians.
Last Thursday, he said at a press conference that even his critics of the decision agree that a shuttle mission should not be sent to the telescope if it does not meet the safety requirements of the Columbia Disaster Commission of Inquiry. According to him, there is no chance that such a mission could ever fit these criteria before Hubble stops operating around 2007. "I am still of the opinion that if the facts do not fundamentally change, the decision will stand." said.
Second opinion
O'Keeffe's comments came after he appeared before the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee that reviews NASA and whose members support research into the possibility of repairing the Hubble. The idea was brought up by Senator Barbara Mikulski who decided to undertake the journey to preserve the telescope.
Mikulski called on the program to cancel the service mission which is "important surgery": "Every patient facing surgery is entitled to a second medical opinion. Such an opinion must not be accepted by one person." However, after O'Keefe's press conference, Mikulski sent him a letter in which she wrote that she was disturbed by his comments, according to which it appears that he is undermining the reason for the research - to give outside experts a chance to explore the options for the telescope's future.
"I understand you said that nothing will change your decision to cancel the last service mission." story. Mikulski said that if O'Keefe doesn't respect the concerns of Congress and doesn't come up with a plan for a manned flight to repair the telescope, she will try to have the task forced on NASA within the next budget.
robotic capabilities
The option of an unmanned service flight to Hubble would include, among other things, robotic capabilities to provide power generation capability to extend Hubble's operational life. O'Keeffe said. He said that in his opinion this concept is a promising concept of the ability to extend the production of electricity by the hands of a robot.
Steven Buckwith, director of the Space Telescope Science Institute, said he was optimistic. According to him, many people in his institute still believe that a miracle will happen. He revealed that the members of his team have extended that the Hubble's operational capability is only a few years old, and that the scientists are trying to develop the ability to extend its life using only two gyroscopes instead of the three that until now were considered the minimum necessary. If this is successful, it may be possible to preserve the Hubble's operational capability until the ability to launch a repair mission is again possible.
And maybe 2007 is not the end of "Hubble"
By Warren Leary New York Times
The Hubble Space Telescope may have been saved from an untimely death. Last Thursday, following pressure from members of Congress, the US space agency agreed that the US National Academy of Sciences would review the decision to cancel a planned space shuttle flight, which aims to repair and improve the telescope.
Astronomers who study the history of the universe using the spectacular photographs of the telescope were happy with the decision. One of them even considered it a "great victory". But NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe said that while he had agreed to have outside experts review his decision not to send a repair team, there was little chance that the review's findings would change his mind.
O'Keeffe said at a press conference that even members of Congress who opposed his decision to abandon the telescope agreed that a shuttle that does not meet all the safety recommendations of the committee that investigated the loss of the space shuttle "Columbia" and its crew last year should not be used. According to him, it is "unlikely" that a shuttle that will be sent to repair the telescope will be able to follow these safety instructions before the telescope stops operating around 2007. "We probably won't be able to send a project in time that will comply with these instructions", he said.
Before that, O'Keeffe appeared before the Senate Budget Subcommittee that oversees NASA and agreed to the proposal that a committee from the Academy of Sciences examine the Hubble issue. The plan was promoted by Democratic Senator Barbara Mikulski from Maryland and the chairman of the subcommittee, Republican Christopher Bond.
Mikulski compared NASA's plan to cancel the telescope project to an important analysis, saying that "any reasonable person would like to get another opinion. Such a decision should not be made by just one person." After the subcommittee meeting, Mikulsky sent a letter to O'Keefe, in which she stated that she was troubled by the things he said to reporters after the hearing, which seem to challenge the logic of an external review of NASA's decision. She said that if O'Keeffe ignores Congress and does not continue planning the project as long as the test continues, she will work to fund it, which is already included in the NASA budget.
O'Keeffe announced on January 16 that for safety reasons he would not approve sending another shuttle to the telescope, a fourth in number, to improve its instruments and replace the gyroscopes and batteries, actions that would extend its life into the next decade. The decision was immediately met with opposition from astronomers, politicians and ordinary citizens.
In late January, after being pressured to reconsider his decision, O'Keeffe asked Harold Gehman, the retired admiral who headed the Columbia disaster investigation team, for an opinion on the matter. At last Thursday's hearing, Mikulski presented a five-page letter from the admiral, which stated that all shuttle flights are dangerous, and that the Hubble project would be only "slightly more dangerous" than a mission to the International Space Station. "I believe that only a comprehensive and in-depth study that examines the overall equation of profits versus risks will be able to answer the question, whether extending the life of the wonderful Hubble telescope is worth the risks involved," Gehman wrote.
O'Keefe insisted that the Academy of Sciences review look at other ways to extend the telescope's life that don't involve sending a shuttle. Astronomers estimate that the telescope will be able to operate until 2007 or 2008, but O'Keefe said it may be possible to extend its life "if it is operated in a more creative way."
NASA itself will examine proposals to extend Hubble's life, for example by sending a team of robots that can carry out repairs or connect an additional power supply to the telescope, which will allow it to continue operating longer.
