Nasa to abandon Hubble telescope

[Lionel]

Nasa is halting all space shuttle missions to service the Hubble Space Telescope, a move that will lead to it becoming useless within four years. The US space agency took the decision because, under President Goeorge W Bush's new space programme, the space shuttle will be retired in 2010. The United States will instead focus on voyages to the Moon and Mars. "This is a sad day," said Nasa's chief scientist John Grunsfeld, but "the best thing for the space community". The shuttle is also gradually being wound down, and virtually all remaining flights until it goes out of service in 2010 will be used to complete the International Space Station. Flights have been halted since the explosion of the Columbia shuttle nearly a year ago. Without servicing missions, Hubble should continue operating until 2008, Mr Grunsfeld said. The BBC's Michael Buchanan in Washington says the telescope - launched in 1990 - has revolutionised the study of astronomy.

The images it has beamed back to earth have determined the age of the universe - over 13 billion years old - and discovered that a mysterious energy is causing all of objects in the universe to move apart ever quicker, our correspondent adds.

View: Full Article | Source: BBC News

[DreamRebel]

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[stillcrazy]

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[geeohn]

so any outspace telescope is disposable like tissue/napkin from a box. that is one expensive tissue.