Don't smile yet, Martin. In the new Abrahamic Trek universe, the Webb telescope
will probably be hijacked by renegade Andorians (now loosened on the galaxy
since the demise of Vulcan).
----- Original Message -----
From: "Martin Baxter" <truthseeker...@lycos.com>
To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Sunday, May 17, 2009 6:36:03 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern
Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Spacewalkers pull off toughest Hubble repairs yet
I am smiling right now...
---------[ Received Mail Content ]----------
Subject : Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Spacewalkers pull off toughest Hubble repairs
yet
Date : Sun, 17 May 2009 22:33:01 +0000 (UTC)
>From : Keith Johnson <keithbjohn...@comcast.net>
To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com
Yeah, it's called the Webb telescope, scheduled for launch in four years:
http://webbtelescope.org/webb_telescope/
The James Webb Space Telescope is NASA's next orbiting observatory and the
successor to the Hubble Space Telescope. A tennis court-sized telescope
orbiting far beyond Earth's moon, Webb will detect infrared radiation and be
capable of seeing in that wavelength as well as Hubble sees in visible light.
Infrared vision is vital to our understanding of the universe. The furthest
objects we can detect are seen in infrared light, cooler objects that would
otherwise be invisible emit infrared, and infrared light pierces clouds of
dust, allowing us to see into their depths. Webb will unleash a torrent of new
discoveries, opening the door to a part of the universe that has just begun to
take shape under humanity's observations.
Right now, scientists and engineers are piecing Webb together, creating through
cutting-edge technology an innovative observatory that not only withstands
intense cold, but uses it to its advantage; an observatory that folds up inside
a rocket for launch and unfurls like a butterfly opening its wings upon nearing
its orbit.
In 2013, the Webb telescope will launch into space, sailing to the distant,
isolated orbit where it will begin its quest. Supernovae and black holes, baby
galaxies and planets' potential for supporting life — Webb will help reveal the
answers to some of the biggest mysteries of astronomy.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Martin Baxter"
To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Sunday, May 17, 2009 6:07:32 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern
Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Spacewalkers pull off toughest Hubble repairs yet
Thanks, Keith. I didn't know that.
---------[ Received Mail Content ]----------
Subject : Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Spacewalkers pull off toughest Hubble repairs
yet
Date : Sun, 17 May 2009 21:56:35 +0000 (UTC)
>From : Keith Johnson
To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com
There's an infrared telescope being planned for the next few years, but I don't
think its scope is as vast as Hubble's. At least, not in terms of including
pics from the visible part of the EM spectrum.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Martin Baxter"
To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Sunday, May 17, 2009 8:14:32 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern
Subject: [RE][scifinoir2] Spacewalkers pull off toughest Hubble repairs yet
I hate to say it, Keith, but, when Hubble finally breaks down beyond repair,
nothing will go up to replace it. Lots of weird little projects fluttering
around, and the money just won't be there for Hubble, which has already proven
itself as being worth far more than any other project running, IMO.
---------[ Received Mail Content ]----------
Subject : [scifinoir2] Spacewalkers pull off toughest Hubble repairs yet
Date : Sun, 17 May 2009 03:42:08 +0000 (UTC)
>From : Keith Johnson
To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com
Wow, this is amazing. I was really nervous about this repair before it was
undertaken. But two things it makes me wish. One, that Hubble weren't the only
device of its type in orbit. It's pretty old now, and I really wish there'd
been the initiative to put another, newer one in orbit recently. And two, given
the nature of the spacewalk's difficulty and danger, makes me wish more than
ever that we had a Lunar colony. How cool it would be to have Moon-based
telescopes situated on the dark side of Luna. It'd make servicing a lot easier,
though of course they're range of vision might be a bit limited.
***************************************************
[Yahoo News]
Spacewalkers pull off toughest Hubble repairs yet
By MARCIA DUNN, AP Aerospace Writer Marcia Dunn, Ap Aerospace Writer – 35 mins
ago
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Spacewalking astronauts gave the Hubble Space Telescope
a more commanding view of the cosmos by installing a new high-tech instrument
Saturday, then pulled off their toughest job yet: fixing a broken camera.
It was the third spacewalk in as many days for the shuttle Atlantis crew and
the most intricate ever performed because of the unprecedented camera repairs.
Astronauts had never before tried to take apart a science instrument at the
19-year-old observatory.
Hubble's chief mechanic, John Grunsfeld, deftly opened up the burned-out camera
and plucked out all four electronic cards that needed to be replaced.
"Somehow I don't think brain surgeons go 'woo-hoo' when they pull something
out," one of the astronauts observed from inside Atlantis.
To everyone's surprise, the new cards and power supply pack went in just as
smoothly. In fact, the astronauts found themselves running ahead of schedule
for a change, their spacewalk lasting the allotted 6 1/2 hours. The first two
spacewalks ended up running long because of unexpected difficulties encountered
with Hubble, last visited seven years ago.
The astronauts cheered when Mission Control radioed up the news that the
repaired camera had passed the first round of testing.
"That's unbelievable," Grunsfeld said.
A second round of testing was expected to last well into the night. Early
Saturday evening, Mission Control told astronauts that a new spectrograph that
spacewalkers also installed passed both its tests. Atlantis crew responded with
what has become customary whooping it up.
Even with two spacewalks remaining, including the repair of a major instrument
Sunday, NASA managers were handing out accolades and talking about how improved
the telescope already is.
"At this point in time, Hubble has reached a new high in terms of its
capability," Hubble program manager Preston Burch said at a news conference
Saturday afternoon. "We're enjoying the moment and savoring it."
Atlantis' crew broke out in grins.
In a video sent to Earth taken before the spacewalk, Mike Massimino, who
spacewalked Friday and will do so again Sunday, compared dealing with Hubble to
a heavyweight fight. But he also was looking like the winner in such a bout.
"We don't warranty any of the work," Massimino joked for the camera in a heavy
New York accent. "Labor's not guaranteed."
The high-stakes job unfolded 350 miles above Earth. Orbiting so high put
Atlantis and its astronauts at an increased risk of being hit by space junk .
NASA had another shuttle on launch standby in case a rescue was needed.
Earlier, Grunsfeld and his spacewalking partner, Andrew Feustel, accomplished
their first task, hooking up the $88 million Cosmic Origins Spectrograph .
They made room for the new supersensitive spectrograph — designed to detect
faint light from faraway quasars — by removing the corrective lenses that
restored Hubble's vision in 1993.
"This is really pretty historic," Grunsfeld said as he and Feustel hoisted out
the phone booth-size box containing Hubble's old contacts.
Hubble was launched in 1990 with a flawed mirror that left it nearsighted. But
the newer science instruments have corrective lenses built in, making the 1993
contacts unnecessary. The latest addition, the cosmic spectrograph, is expected
to provide greater insight into how planets, stars and galaxies formed.
The switch — taking out the 7-foot-long box containing the corrective lenses
and putting in the spectrograph — proved straightforward. It's exactly the kind
of replacement work astronauts performed on four previous repair missions.
Fixing the 7-year-old camera was far more complicated. The instrument — called
the Advanced Camera for Surveys — suffered an electrical short and stopped
working two years ago. Ground controllers had been able to eke out a minimal
amount of science but wanted it back in full operation.
Before it broke, the surveys camera provided astronomers with the deepest view
of the universe in visible light, going back in time 13 billion years.
NASA considered this repair job — and one planned Sunday on another failed
science instrument — to be the most delicate and difficult ever attempted in
orbit. Neither instrument was designed to be handled by astronauts wearing
thick, stiff gloves.
Grunsfeld unscrewed 32 fasteners to reach the camera's electronic guts, all the
while working around a corner that prevented him from seeing everything he was
doing. He used long tools designed just for the job — and got it done faster
than planned.
NASA hopes to keep Hubble working for another five to 10 years. Already, the
astronauts have given Hubble two top-of-the-line science instruments, fresh
batteries and gyroscopes, and a new science data unit.
If all goes well, the final spacewalk is set for Monday and the telescope will
be released Tuesday from Atlantis.
This last mission to Hubble cost more than $1 billion.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds
