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eagle
Member
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# Posted: 8 Feb 2005 11:02
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http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4244451.stm
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demonvamp
Member
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# Posted: 8 Feb 2005 13:05
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That's a real damn shame! 
QD. Always concerned when folk mention controlled descents of unmanned craft.
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anth
Member
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# Posted: 8 Feb 2005 15:07
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Do not get me started on this
I think it's a disgrace. This is a new era of space exploration according to Bush. Humans are going back to the Moon! And onwards to Mars! Yay!
But repairing a space telescope in Earth orbit is far too dangerous apparently. The Shuttle is finished as far as repair missions to objects like the Space Telescope.
All Shuttle flights now will be trips to the space station, for safety reasons. The shuttle has gone from orbital laboratory, inter planetary probe launcher, orbital maintenance vehicle, space hard ware salvage vessel. To what it is now. A Taxi!
Refit the Shuttle and allow them to do what they were designed to do. Or scrap them. It makes more sense to launch crews to the Space Station on cheap Russian rockets. And put the money saved into robotic maintenance of Hubble. Which is doing more science in 5 minutes than anybody is doing onboard the Space Station anyway. 
And, there's a 1/10 chance of Hubble coming down on a populated area too!
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babel
Member
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# Posted: 8 Feb 2005 16:06
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It's downright bloody stupid! Hubble is in the prime of its life. And is to be sacrificed because, what? Of the inane and utterly misguided politically-motivated rantings of a man to whom science is undoubtedly a four-letter word?
I agree with Anth's post 100%. NASA's mission is im danger of becoming a joke. Watch out . . the Chinese are coming and they are a numerous, inventive and determined people. Make no mistake, they will prosper in space.
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babel
Member
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# Posted: 8 Feb 2005 16:09
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I should add that I'm not having a go at the Chinese. Far from it. I simply think that space should be explored by all of us and the best way of doing that is to have NASA fully participating in space programems, along with the ESA, the Russians and the Chinese.
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demonvamp
Member
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# Posted: 8 Feb 2005 17:50
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I have the solution!! Drag it to the space station and use it to peer through people's windows.... wait, no, they're too busy on that thing chasing anti-grav blobs of water and floating to 2001 a space odyssy.
QD
*pops back in to mention things about the shuttle and the accident investigation board*
'The key recommendation of the board was that the shuttle be retired as quickly as possible and that any remaining missions be flown in the vicinity of the International Space Station. The station could serve as a "life raft" while crews attempted to fix problems *dodgy foam damage again* with the shuttle, or until a rescue mission could be mounted.
For bureaucratic reasons, NASA latched onto that recommendation with a vengeance. NASA's short-term future is hinged to the space station, a scientifically dubious outpost created largely so the shuttles would have someplace to fly. NASA is so intent on proving that the space station is viable that it won't fly anywhere else.'
Just so you know, folks-
'Now, after what will be a 28-month hiatus designed to cure go fever *their desperation to get the thing up has a name!* , NASA is preparing to send shuttle Discovery into space in May. The agency says the foam problems have been fixed, but some of the members who served on the Columbia Accident Investigation Board aren't so sure.'
It'll happen again if they keep them flying for long. I was sure it would after Challenger and I feel time is running out for the shuttles. It'll go one of two ways, another accident or they'll be dropped like a sack of bricks. To be honest, I'd rather they were dropped. Much as I love the shuttles, I'd rather think of them as beautiful white starships than plummeting debris.
QD, again.
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eagle
Member
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# Posted: 2 Apr 2005 19:16
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And now for more bad news...
http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/space/04/01/hubble.deorbit/index.html
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