Smirk killed the Hubble Telescope and it really burns me up.

[Ripley]

http://cnn.netscape.cnn.com/ns/news/story.jsp?floc=FF-RTO-PLS&idq=/ff/story/0002/20040117/0607176673.htm&photoid=19970219NY123

One of the most successful things NASA has done is to get that thing up there, then "fix it" when it had problems, and reveal the wonders of the universe that astronomers are learning from daily. That little dictator really is trying to kill off anything of pure scientific value in NASA and also cancel any international cooperative NASA projects like the ISS, in favor of his militaristic missions to the moon and Mars.

This is completely illogical. The commissioner says "it's due to safety concerns":

snip>
The space agency's decision, announced by NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe to scientists and engineers at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Maryland, where Hubble's mission is managed, was a direct result of safety concerns after the loss last February of the space shuttle Columbia.
snip>

So it's safer to go to the Moon or Mars than to go to a near-Earth orbiting telescope? :crazy:

Obviously they are lying. NASA is going to meld into the Pentagon.

If Smirky thought he would pick up any space science egghead votes with his "vision" thing about Mars...he just lost them all with this asinine move.

snip>
"Its early termination and the failure to deploy the sort of last generation of instruments, which were even more fully able to exploit its capabilities, is tragic. The loss is immeasurable," said astronomer Donald Hall of the Institute for Astronomy at the University of Hawaii.
snip>

These clips are from CNN online. What is not there is the price of the instrumentation...my paper today says it is $200 million of stuff that was supposed to go up in the next shuttle delivery to the telescope. Now that $200 million of stuff is literally space junk that will be thrown away. Way to go repukes...you're so efficient and non-wasteful in your handling of the budget!!!

This is an outrage, why isn't it on page 1? :grr: :grr: :nuke:

[G_j]

1. this is sad indeed n/t

[ThoughtCriminal]

2. Plus $300 million to de-orbit

They have to design a robot rocket to rendezvous and crash it into the ocean. I can undersatnd the safety problems of addtional shuttle missions to Hubble. But it would be nice if they could use the robot ship to move it near the ISS instead of dumping it in the ocean.

If it was near the Space Station, they could continue to maintain it without having to launch additional missions. I'm sure it would be a more difficult orbital change, but considering Hubbles record, well worth it I think.

[Snellius]

3. If it doesn't serve his political ambitions, what good is it?

Bush would rather float some warmed-over Kennedyesque "vision thing" of dubious scientific value than strive for a real human achievement like the Hubble just because Turd Blossom told him he needs a few thousand more votes in Florida.

[bigtree]

5. They apparently intend to replace it with the

infrared James Webb Space Telescope. What do you think of this move? What do you think is behind the switch?

[Ripley]

6. What is that? Do you have a link?

I have not read anywhere there is a replacement telescope. And all of the astronomers I have seen quoted say what a shock this was and it is devastating to their field.

[goobergunch]

8. It won't launch until 2011

And its focus is more on infrared.

[Ripley]

9. Why would they be so shocked?

Unless of course, they know that by dismantling (or crashing it into the ocean) one telescope with "promises" of a newer telescope is just like any other promise from politicians. This new one will never come about. Afterall, if Smirk wants NASA's money to be dedicated to manned missions (whether by soldiers or scientists we don't know) what money will be left-over for a telescope? Well, what a joke. There's no money for the manned missions either....UNLESS it merges into the Pentagon which has a black hole for a budget.

[bigtree]

11. The Next Generation Space Telescope

JWST, which is now being designed and has an expected launch date of 2011, will succeed the currently operating Hubble Space Telescope.
http://nextgen.stsci.edu/

Northrop Grumman Space Technology is NASA's prime contractor for development of the JWST observatory. Northrop Grumman is part of an international partnership led by NASA, which includes the Space Telescope Science Institute, and the European and Canadian space agencies.
http://www.capitol.northgrum.com/programs/jwst.html

Northrop Grumman Selects Beryllium Mirror Technology for James Webb Space Telescope (September 10, 2003)
http://www.capitol.northgrum.com/press_releases/ngpress091003.html

Raytheon Awarded a $9 Million Contract For James Webb Space Telescope Ground System... for developmental work on the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) program by prime contractor Northrop Grumman Space. http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/micro_stories.pl?ACCT=149999&TICK=RTN&STORY=/www/story/10-08-2003/0002031948&EDATE=Oct+8%2C+2003

Will this successor to Hubble survive?

[Ripley]

13. Probably not in US hands.

I suppose it will be another shining example of outsourcing and brain-trust loss from the USA. I guess everything must fall to the needs of the "world's largest superpower." All hail the mighty warriors who can't even feed their own people anymore. Bleck.

Thanks for the links.

[Dudley_DUright]

14. Will it survive?

Not likely due to the big change in focus to manned missions to the moon and mars. As a scientist and a astronomy buff, this is about the worst news I can imagine from NASA.

[Serenity-NOW]

4. That's standard admin policy; run before you walk...

Evidently it's simply not a good idea to practice something first. Like say, diplomacy or short gravity exercises. Better to war and shoot the moon. Bizarro world.

[jpak]

7. Part of Bush's anti-science agenda

What are the scientific objectives of Bush's vision-thing space program?

I really do not know.

Did anyone in the Bush administration consult with the scientific community before proposing any of this????

Nope.

Arrogance and Ignorance apparently are the only principles guiding Bush's space policy.

Yet another reason for regime change this November.

[Bozita]

10. This toon shows Dumbya getting ready to kill the Hubble

courtesy of Nostamj

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=1024619&mesg_id=1024619

[pscot]

12. They were planning on replacing it with a new telescope

and it seemed likely that there might be a few years between the death of Hubble and the launch of the new one. Now it really does sound as though it will end with Hubble. Is this going to drain money away from the space station too? It sure sounds like it. Bush is such a fucking know-nothing.