APOD: Science Museum Hubble (2010 Oct 13)

[APOD Robot]

Science Museum Hubble

Explanation: Will the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) end up in a museum? Probably not, as when it finally goes bust, current plans call for it to be de-orbited into an ocean. But this won't stop likenesses of the famous floating observatory from appearing in science museums around the globe, sometimes paired with amazing pictures it has taken. Pictured above, in a celebration of the 20th anniversary of the launching of Hubble, a replica of the telescope was given a picturesque setting in the Italian Istituto Veneto di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti in their beautiful and historic Palazzo Loredan. The scene there appears perhaps a bit surreal as the deep space imager appears over a terrestrial tile floor, surrounded by the busts of famous thinkers, and under arches reminiscent of Escher. If you're lucky, it may even be possible to find an exhibition of Hubble images near you. And if no HST model appears there, you could always build your own.

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[Guest]

As many of you probably know already. there is a full-size replica of the HST in the Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C. It's impressively large.

OF

[skim]

Wow........this.....is.......astronomical

[Luce Van der Whaal]

We very much enjoy the daily APOD and look forward to the interesting and often wry weblinks. Occasionally it seems that the author relies overmuch on Wikipedia to provide content, sometimes packing the single paragraph with several direct links to that online source. This is disappointing. No doubt the ESA and Hubble are very busy people who must juggle more difficult and pressing matters than writing a single paragraph for NASA. But in passing their authorship to Wikipedia, they are perhaps missing an opportunity to connect with their readership in a more meaningful way.

[catden]

I would simple like to say that regardless of any replicas around, I think this particularly amazing enlightenor of the galaxy and beyond deserves a nice place in which to go "out to pasture". Don't think the bottom of the ocean will do.

My mother's solar panels (I described her as the 'hippy without drugs') are in a museum in this country (Australia). That amused me but the Hubble is something else... it has opened up the universe (time delays withstanding) to everyone... and you chaps are making it SOooo accesible.... GET IT RIGHT!!!

Cheers,
Catherine Denney

PS - I would like a response to this, to my email "catden@netspace.net.au " else I'll be a bit annoyed

[biddie67]

I was a little surprised to read that Hubble would be de-orbited into an ocean. Realizing that recovery might be difficult, at best, but what a treasure to bring safely back to Earth for display.

Curiously, the credits for today's APOD list ESA and HUBBLE- I had assumed that the photo was taken by a biodegradable earth-bound two-legged unit.

[León]

The scene there appears perhaps a bit surreal as the deep space imager appears over a terrestrial tile floor, surrounded by the busts of famous thinkers, and under arches reminiscent of Escher.

excellent image, good parallelism found

Another thing would be if the hubble was done in marble.

The difference remains that the chthonic world and could see Dante Alighieri, he reserve one for Beatrice and the other for Virgil, but may be changing, as Escher lithograph

[orin stepanek]

And if no HST model appears there, you could always build your own.

You can go on line and find Hubble Space Telescope kits. I saw one for less than $20.

[Marty H]

What an elegant and affirming tribute. It speaks of what is achieved by the people behind, of the potential in all of humankind, and of the people standing behind you and me. This was done PROPERLY.

[strohsc]

I stongly feel there is no adequate reason to plan for the demise of the HST. Keep it up there doing its job. Even if we do launch one that is bigger and better, there is still the universe to be observed. The scope on top of Mt. Wilson has been doing work for my long life time, but no one is saying that it is no longer useful. Keep the HST orbiting.

[Shellback3]

Full size repica? Replicas are always full size by definition, if not it's a model.

[León]

John Bahcall WAS one of the founding fathers of the Hubble Space Telescope, should have a bust that accompanied the telescope

[mexhunter]

To have a replica?
Better a visual collection of the product of more than 20 years of their cameras. Fortunately, many museums today, expose and show the wonders of the deep universe.
Many greetings
César

[Chris Peterson]

I stongly feel there is no adequate reason to plan for the demise of the HST. Keep it up there doing its job. Even if we do launch one that is bigger and better, there is still the universe to be observed. The scope on top of Mt. Wilson has been doing work for my long life time, but no one is saying that it is no longer useful. Keep the HST orbiting.

The HST costs a lot of money to operate- money that could be going to newer, better telescopes. It costs a lot of money to service- one servicing mission may cost more than actually launching an entirely new telescope! Our ability to even perform servicing in space depends on the shuttles, which are being phased out. There is no practical way to return the HST to the Earth intact.

These things are just the realities. While many of us have a sentimental attachment to this instrument, that's all it is, and if we can make better use of our resources, that's what we should do.

[Ann]

Unfortunately, the new, "better" telescopes are all devoted to infrared astronomy.

Ann

[rstevenson]

I think I recall reading that small maneuvering units can be attached to satellites, perhaps robotically, to give them the thrusters they need to either park them in a safe out-of-the-way orbit, or to deorbit them under control. It seems to me that such a thruster pack could be used to park the Hubble somewhere where it won't bother anyone for the next decade or two. It could simply be left there unused and unattended, until such time as we are in space in greater numbers and with more ways to get around and do useful things. Then it could be picked up and repurposed in a variety of different ways. As Chris says, it's just an instrument. But old instruments don't usually get tossed out; they get passed on for others to use.

Rob

[Chris Peterson]

Unfortunately, the new, "better" telescopes are all devoted to infrared astronomy.

That's where the primary research need is, now. The next step with visible light telescopes in space will probably be larger mirrors. And in the meantime, telescopes on Earth are now able to provide higher resolution images than the HST, because of adaptive optics. The main focus in space telescopes is wavelength bands that are not accessibly from the ground.

[Chris Peterson]

I think I recall reading that small maneuvering units can be attached to satellites, perhaps robotically, to give them the thrusters they need to either park them in a safe out-of-the-way orbit, or to deorbit them under control. It seems to me that such a thruster pack could be used to park the Hubble somewhere where it won't bother anyone for the next decade or two. It could simply be left there unused and unattended, until such time as we are in space in greater numbers and with more ways to get around and do useful things. Then it could be picked up and repurposed in a variety of different ways. As Chris says, it's just an instrument. But old instruments don't usually get tossed out; they get passed on for others to use.

Lots of instruments get tossed when their cost of operation exceeds the value of data they produce.

In fact, there has been some discussion about trying to put the HST in a higher orbit. But doing that requires more than a maneuvering rocket. It requires a substantial rocket, with a substantial amount of fuel, and a lot of engineering and design. In short, it's very expensive. Most scientists would rather have another year or two added to an existing mission that is producing valuable data, than they would having the HST boosted to a "museum" orbit. This is just the reality of working within very limited resources.

[rstevenson]

Thanks for the clarification Chris. I didn't realize small boosters wouldn't do the trick.

Rob

[BMAONE23]

Perhaps a deorbiting shell with heat shield (ala Moonraker) could be designed to surround the telescope at the end of its life and safely return it for display in the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum

[Chris Peterson]

Perhaps a deorbiting shell with heat shield (ala Moonraker) could be designed to surround the telescope at the end of its life and safely return it for display in the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum

The bottom line is that nobody has proposed a way of either recovering or preserving the HST that doesn't cost hundreds of millions of dollars, or even billions- the cost of an entire mission or two or three.

As much as everybody would like to see the HST in the Smithsonian, nobody wants their science mission scuttled to make it happen. And realistically, I don't see Congress providing the large additional injection of money on top of the existing NASA budget to allow for some sort of recovery mission.

[biddie67]

It seems obvious that not only do we need to come up with more reasonable, available and inexpensive fuels for our vehicles here on Earth but also for our space-bound vehicles.

[emc]

There are several things about this APOD that I like… placing the Hubble Space Telescope replica among the busts of famous thinkers cleverly places one of our most scientific and space environmentally enlightening instruments in a human persona. (There is a multitude of people to credit with the HST). The museum architecture is very pleasing to the eye making the display even more inviting. The colors are beautiful. I would love to visit this museum… almost as much as I would love to greater than light speed myself into extraterrestrial space.

BTW – On a more subtle note… the astronomical connection is quite obvious for me... but I would like to add… Escher is one of my many heroes.

[Othermoons]

We very much enjoy the daily APOD and look forward to the interesting and often wry weblinks. Occasionally it seems that the author relies overmuch on Wikipedia to provide content, sometimes packing the single paragraph with several direct links to that online source. This is disappointing. No doubt the ESA and Hubble are very busy people who must juggle more difficult and pressing matters than writing a single paragraph for NASA. But in passing their authorship to Wikipedia, they are perhaps missing an opportunity to connect with their readership in a more meaningful way.

Absolutely agree!

[bystander]

Camera That Saved Hubble Leaves Nest for Good

The historic Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2, developed and built by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, left JPL Wednesday morning, Oct. 13, for points east. Known informally as "The Camera That Saved Hubble," the baby-grand-piano-sized camera was on temporary loan from the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in Washington.

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