Posted on 12/30/2022 8:52:55 AM PST by BenLurkin
On Dec. 22, the space agency issued a Request for Information regarding a non-exclusive SpaceX study earlier this year that suggested how the Hubble Space Telescope could be "reboosted" into a higher orbit.
Since the start of Hubble's operations in 1990, the orbit of the space telescope 335 miles (540 kilometers) above Earth has been decaying. Reboosting it to an orbit that is both higher and more stable could add years to Hubble’s operating lifetime delaying the point at which NASA must deorbit or dispose of the telescope.
During its five space shuttle missions to the service Hubble, NASA used the shuttle to reboost the telescope. The last shuttle servicing mission to Hubble was in 2009. NASA retired its shuttle fleet in 2011.
The idea to raise Hubble to a higher orbit using a Dragon spacecraft at no cost to the government was first developed between SpaceX and Polaris Program, a private program of space missions using SpaceX's Dragon and Starship vehicles funded by billionaire Jared Isaacman. The unfunded agreement between SpaceX and NASA to study the feasibility of reboosting Hubble was then signed in September 2022.
The SpaceX study was designed to help NASA, which currently has no plans to operate or fund a new Hubble servicing mission, determine the commercial possibility of such a mission. The SpaceX study also aimed to lay out the technical challenges of such a servicing endeavor.
(Excerpt) Read more at space.com ...
Right now with all the hate directed toward all things Musk, the Starship will be relegated to the far future since the program was based on ‘test to failure’ model, now limited to one maybe test flight a year.
Once Bezos’ Blue Horizons catches up, all things Space X and Starship will be cancelled as things sit now.
How could boosting the orbit make a difference when you are looking at stuff Light Years away. I don’t understand how even a million mile boost would make a difference.
Strap on a JTOW..................
Orbits eventually decay. Boosting the orbit will keep it up longer.
How much do we pay NASA to default to SpaceX for anything that has to reach orbit? Elon is at least a fair negotiator which is evident by his enormously vast wealth and lack of prison time.
And we are all fans of keeping up longer.
Here’s one idea, how about you hire non woke engineers who care about competently doing their jobs and don’t complain about how unfair they are being treated or how oppressed they are.
I would not say I’m a fan, but if the cost is reasonable, why not keep it going?
Most of the woke people in the space industry are not engineers. PR, HR, etc.
Musk used ion thrusters on his Starlink satellites. Perhaps he can get one on the Hubble so it doesn’t need to be boosted so often?
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5MEPWsdo-UE
Light Years away. I don’t understand how even a million mile boost would make a difference.
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Hubble is orbiting about 332 miles above the Earth and it is slowly descending! Soon will be too low and eventually crash land.
Beefing up Hubble will not change its optical results, but will add many years to its life.
8 was a pun.
Im all for keeping up there as long as possible and I wouldnt trust NASA to do it with anyone else but Musk. Bezos and his “rockets” are joke.
Ah, I wasn’t thinking about that...
That would be great. I’m all for keeping Hubble up there if it’s possible.
but you don’t get a cent unless you are Mega Diverse
Operation Viagra....
Use Brandon, he is loaded with hot air!
All part of the ongoing communist purge...
In addition, "revenge" for twitter's "theft" by an American capitalist will play a role...
The evil & nastiness of our communist masters has absolutely no limits...
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