.'Go' for Hubble servicing mission
NASA Administrator Mike Griffin today reinstated a final shuttle mission to service and upgrade the Hubble Space Telescope, deciding the scientific value of the orbiting icon justifies the additional cost - and risk - of a stand-alone shuttle flight.
"We are going to add a shuttle servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope to the shuttle manifest before it is retired," Griffi told managers and engineers at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.
Hubble Servicing Mission No. 4 - SM-4 - will be flown aboard the shuttle Discovery in May 2008. On board will be commander Scott Altman, pilot Greg C. Johnson, robot arm operator Megan McArthur and spacewalkers John Grunsfeld, making his third trip to Hubble, Mike Massimino, making his second, Andrew Feustel and Mike Good.
Altman served as commander of the most recent Hubble servicing mission, SM-3B, in 2002. Grunsfeld and Massimino participated in spacewalks during that mission and both are experts on Hubble servicing. The rest of the astronauts are making their first shuttle flight.
A graphic showing the past HST spacewalks is available here.
"What an exceptional day today is," said Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., a long-time Hubble supporter and instrumental advocate of a final servicing mission. "I'm so pleased and so excited that Dr. Griffin has just announced that Hubble will be serviced for the fifth time. ... It's a great day for science. It's a great day for discovery. It's a great day for inspiration, because that's one of the things Hubble has meant for so many people."
Spaceflight Now
The threat of congressional election has paid dividends again. Once again the administration fearing complete lose of control over the congress is trying to drum up support and flip flopping on it's long standing policy to abandon the telescope.
We here at TFW welcome this sudden return to reason and sanity in national policy, We hope that our fellow citizens will continue to put pressure on this administration.
"We are going to add a shuttle servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope to the shuttle manifest before it is retired," Griffi told managers and engineers at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.
Hubble Servicing Mission No. 4 - SM-4 - will be flown aboard the shuttle Discovery in May 2008. On board will be commander Scott Altman, pilot Greg C. Johnson, robot arm operator Megan McArthur and spacewalkers John Grunsfeld, making his third trip to Hubble, Mike Massimino, making his second, Andrew Feustel and Mike Good.
Altman served as commander of the most recent Hubble servicing mission, SM-3B, in 2002. Grunsfeld and Massimino participated in spacewalks during that mission and both are experts on Hubble servicing. The rest of the astronauts are making their first shuttle flight.
A graphic showing the past HST spacewalks is available here.
"What an exceptional day today is," said Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., a long-time Hubble supporter and instrumental advocate of a final servicing mission. "I'm so pleased and so excited that Dr. Griffin has just announced that Hubble will be serviced for the fifth time. ... It's a great day for science. It's a great day for discovery. It's a great day for inspiration, because that's one of the things Hubble has meant for so many people."
Spaceflight Now
The threat of congressional election has paid dividends again. Once again the administration fearing complete lose of control over the congress is trying to drum up support and flip flopping on it's long standing policy to abandon the telescope.
We here at TFW welcome this sudden return to reason and sanity in national policy, We hope that our fellow citizens will continue to put pressure on this administration.
posted by madtom at 2:43 PM
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