Average Hubble image cost?

[PATODD]

If all costs associated with the hubble telescope were divided by the number of images it has created, what would be the present average cost per image?

I realize this is relatively meaningless data, but it would give some perspective to its value. The average cost per day would also be interesting

[makc]

Initially Hubble cost $1.5 billion to build and put into orbit.

Hubble's total budget in one year is in the range $230-250 million. That money does more than simply keep Hubble operating on a daily basis. In addition to operational costs, the total dollar figure includes funds for scientific data analysis, as well as for the development of future hardware and its associated software.

Another page says Hubble Space Telescope (HST) was deployed in 1990. This yields $1.5e9 + (2006 - 1990)*$230e6 = $5.18e9 total spendings. Finally, they say HST has "...taken more than 400,000 separate observations". Let's say it was 450e3. We have: $11.5 thousands for every photo. Now that's an expensive camera!

[makc]

It also says that HST "...has created a data archive of over 10 terabytes". That's roughlty 22,222,222 bytes per picture. Random JPEG from my hard drive has 81,572 bytes with 542x691 resolution, that is 4.6 square pixels per byte. "Equally compressed" HST image then should be about 102,222,221 square pixels, or 10,110x10,110 normal pixels. Well, it's too bad astronomers do not use compression

[43 Octaves below Middle C]

toatal 1.5 billion, but the current cost of Iraq is $130K per hour at least for next seven months

[diamondblast]

toatal 1.5 billion, but the current cost of Iraq is $130K per hour at least for next seven months

Well I am trying not to get into a politics.
However I do agree with your point.
We put so much money into all kind of stuff .... and priority is not always what we should expect it to be.
It is clear that Iraq takes alllllllot of money that could be spent on more "internal" things. Meanwhile try to enjoy your time here caloric intake, paf pro

[harry]

G'day from the land of ozzzzzzzzz


Hubble unveils image of NGC 2074
http://www.astronomy.com/asy/default.aspx?c=a&id=7285

August 11, 2008
In commemoration of the Hubble Space Telescope completing its 100,000th orbit around the Earth in its 18th year of exploration and discovery, scientists have aimed Hubble to take a snapshot of a dazzling region of celestial birth and renewal.