Okay, now I'm steamed…

by Diane

The White House has eliminated funding for a mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope from its 2006 budget request and directed NASA to focus solely on de-orbiting the popular spacecraft at the end of its life, according to government and industry sources.

And here’s what really gets up my nose:

That budget request, according to government and industry sources, will not include any money for Hubble servicing but will include some money for a mission to attach a propulsion module to Hubble needed to safely de-orbit the spacecraft with a controlled re-entry into the Pacific Ocean. NASA would not need to launch such a mission before the end of the decade to guide the massive telescope safely into the ocean.

So at this point I have only two questions.

(a) What’s the difference in cost between the servicing mission package and the mission to attach the propulsion module?

and,

(b) Where do I donate?!

As for the rest of it — even expats have congresspeople and senators, and can re-elect them…or boot them the hell out. Time to hit the fax machine and remind them of the fact…

You may also like

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt out if you wish. Accept Read More