SPACE.com Live: STS-125: The Final Shuttle Flight to Hubble

[doublehelix]

NASA's final space shuttle mission to the Hubble Space Telescope is set to launch around May 12. The agency updated reporters and the public on the risky mission on Thursday, April 23.

After NASA’s briefings Thursday, SPACE.com Senior Editor Tariq Malik and Senior Writer Andrea Thompson answered questions during a 45-minute live discussion.

Thanks for the great questions! The live session is now done, but feel free to keep this thread going.

 

[Robin Lloyd]

Hi Tariq. How many days will the shuttle be docked with (is that the word?) Hubble during the mission/repair?

 

[TariqJMalik]

Hi Robin, Atlantis will arrive at Hubble on the third day of the 11-day mission, and cast off on Flight Day 9, so about a week or so actually physically attached. 5 of those consecutive days include spacewalks.

- Tariq

 

[doublehelix]

I'd also like to know how much longer Hubble will last. It seems like it's been up there forever!

 

[Andrea_Thompson]

I'd also like to know how much longer Hubble will last. It seems like it's been up there forever!

It's certainly has been up there for awhile! The mission engineers say that if everything goes according to plan and they get the necessary repairs done, Hubble will last for at least another 5 years. Beyond that is a little hard to say and may depend on if the astronomy community still wants/needs to use it.

 

[TariqJMalik]

I'd also like to know how much longer Hubble will last. It seems like it's been up there forever!

Also, doublehelix, tomorrow (April 24) is Hubble's 19th birthday. It was launched into space on April 24, 1990.

 

[doublehelix]

I'd also like to know how much longer Hubble will last. It seems like it's been up there forever!

Also, doublehelix, tomorrow (April 24) is Hubble's 19th birthday. It was launched into space on April 24, 1990.

Well thats, cool. 1990, eh? I thought it was older - hope the astronomy community still wants it up there. There have been some absolutely amazing pictures from Hubble.

 

[3488]

Hi Tariq & Andrea,

Firstly let me say that I enjoy the articles you write very much. I always have a read.

Regarding Hubble,

Firstly, after this final repair & upgrade, how long do you think Hubble will last (similar to dh's question)?

Secondly, in your opinions, what d you think will be the death knell for Hubble? Gyros, solar arrays being degraded, instument failure or even orbital decay (despite Hubble orbiting at approx twice the altitude of the ISS)?

Thirdly, in your opinions, do you think NASA will really make this the final call (certainly with STS)? I find it hard to believe NASA will not attempt a sort of service using Orion.

Lastly, what are your greatest wishes for Hubble to observe?

Best regards fom Andrew.

 

[byland]

Looking to the future, how will Hubble be decommissioned? Will they capture it and return it to Earth when it is finally ready to be taken offline? Or, is it a situation where as long as it's functioning it will stay in service like the Mars rovers? I personally hope it's not doomed to be left floating in space unused and off the regular maintenance schedule.

Thanks for all the years of amazing images!

 

[Andrea_Thompson]

I'd also like to know how much longer Hubble will last. It seems like it's been up there forever!

Also, doublehelix, tomorrow (April 24) is Hubble's 19th birthday. It was launched into space on April 24, 1990.

Well thats, cool. 1990, eh? I thought it was older - hope the astronomy community still wants it up there. There have been some absolutely amazing pictures from Hubble.

There certainly have. The mission scientists were proudly saying at the briefing that Hubble is "the new standard in every astronomy textbook" (that was Ed Weiler, who's the associate administrator for the Science Mission Directorate).

 

[TariqJMalik]

Looking to the future, how will Hubble be decommissioned? Will they capture it and return it to Earth when it is finally ready to be taken offline? Or, is it a situation where as long as it's functioning it will stay in service like the Mars rovers? I personally hope it's not doomed to be left floating in space unused and off the regular maintenance schedule.

Thanks for all the years of amazing images!

Byland, originally NASA hoped to return Hubble to Earth at the end of its mission, but with the shuttle fleet retiring that's not in the cards now. During the STS-125 mission, spacewalkers will attach a soft docking mechanism, a docking port for a future robotic spacecraft that - at the end of Hubble's mission - would latch on and then steer the schoolbus-sized space telescope into a controlled re-entry. A sort of space cremation, most likely over the Pacific Ocean.

 

[MeteorWayne]

I'd also like to know how much longer Hubble will last. It seems like it's been up there forever!

It's certainly has been up there for awhile! The mission engineers say that if everything goes according to plan and they get the necessary repairs done, Hubble will last for at least another 5 years. Beyond that is a little hard to say and may depend on if the astronomy community still wants/needs to use it.

If that's the case, it will be there for another hundred yars

 

[pkohlmil]

In terms of the decommissioning, isn't it true that the hooks (and I think I mean that almost literally) for a soft-docking mechanism will be put in place but what it would dock to is not even in the serious planning stage yet?

 

[MeteorWayne]

Byland, originally NASA hoped to return Hubble to Earth at the end of its mission, but with the shuttle fleet retiring that's not in the cards now. During the STS-125 mission, spacewalkers will attach a soft docking mechanism, a docking port for a future robotic spacecraft that - at the end of Hubble's mission - would latch on and then steer the schoolbus-sized space telescope into a controlled re-entry. A sort of space cremation, most likely over the Pacific Ocean.

Personally, I'd much prefer that it be boosted into a safe parking orbit until such time as be we have the ability to bring it back to the Smithsonian (an idea first suggested years ago here on the SDC forums).

 

[3488]

Ah yes, I remember the launch very well.

I was on holiday in Cairo, Egypt at the time, just after my 21st birthday. News was patchy, but got to see the launch as it was covered live by Arab media, the commentary was in Arabic, but that mattered not, as the coverage was very good & could see the launch was successful.

It was a thrill to see Discovery STS 31 climb away with the Hubble & the hopes of the astronomical community. Remember too the disappointment when first light was announced & that spherical abberation (think that's how it's spelt) was discovered. But what a genius solution with COSTAR & really Hubble has not looked back since.

Hubble has been an enormous success & hopefully post STS 125 will continue to do so for many years hence.

Andrew Brown.

 

[Andrea_Thompson]

Hi Tariq & Andrea,

Firstly let me say that I enjoy the articles you write very much. I always have a read.

Regarding Hubble,

Firstly, after this final repair & upgrade, how long do you think Hubble will last (similar to dh's question)?

Secondly, in your opinions, what d you think will be the death knell for Hubble? Gyros, solar arrays being degraded, instument failure or even orbital decay (despite Hubble orbiting at approx twice the altitude of the ISS)?

Thirdly, in your opinions, do you think NASA will really make this the final call (certainly with STS)? I find it hard to believe NASA will not attempt a sort of service using Orion.

Lastly, what are your greatest wishes for Hubble to observe?

Best regards fom Andrew.

In answer to the first question, it's a little hard to say beyond those 5 more years (putting it in operation until 2014). I think it could probably go on for a little bit longer, but there are a lot of factors that come into play from the mechanical systems to what the science community feels like they can get from Hubble.

Tariq may be better able to answer your second question, but I'm not sure they can really say at this point. They're replacing the gyros and will be operating only 3 of the 6 at first and they can operate with as few as 1. I would imagine any major instrument failure would be a major factor in any decision to end Hubble's run -- especially the Science Instrument Command and Data Handling instrument, which is critical because all the commands to Hubble run through it (as well as all those gorgeous images it sends back).

From what the mission scientists said, this really is the last call. Orion won't be in place for a little while, and Hubble is meant to be serviced every 3 years (this is the longest it has gone -- 7 years -- without servicing). They also haven't commissioned any new parts and those would take awhile to build if they did want to send anything new up there.

Personally, I'm pretty jazzed about Hubble getting what one of the mission scientists called an "Ultra Ultra Deep Field" that will look even further back in time in the universe, to around 500 million years after the Big Bang. Awesome (in the original sense of the word).

 

[newsartist]

How does the Delta V profile for this mission differ from a "normal" ISS flight?

 

[Andrea_Thompson]

Byland, originally NASA hoped to return Hubble to Earth at the end of its mission, but with the shuttle fleet retiring that's not in the cards now. During the STS-125 mission, spacewalkers will attach a soft docking mechanism, a docking port for a future robotic spacecraft that - at the end of Hubble's mission - would latch on and then steer the schoolbus-sized space telescope into a controlled re-entry. A sort of space cremation, most likely over the Pacific Ocean.

Personally, I'd much prefer that it be boosted into a safe parking orbit until such time as be we have the ability to bring it back to the Smithsonian (an idea first suggested years ago here on the SDC forums).

On this mission, the astronauts are actually going to bring back the Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 and they're hoping it'll be up in the National Air & Space Museum before too long. I'd definitely go to see it!

 

[byland]

That was the option I didn't even want to ask about. Why can it not just stay in orbit until the next generation of work-class vehicles like the shuttle are ready for flight?

Looking to the future, how will Hubble be decommissioned? Will they capture it and return it to Earth when it is finally ready to be taken offline? Or, is it a situation where as long as it's functioning it will stay in service like the Mars rovers? I personally hope it's not doomed to be left floating in space unused and off the regular maintenance schedule.

Thanks for all the years of amazing images!

Byland, originally NASA hoped to return Hubble to Earth at the end of its mission, but with the shuttle fleet retiring that's not in the cards now. During the STS-125 mission, spacewalkers will attach a soft docking mechanism, a docking port for a future robotic spacecraft that - at the end of Hubble's mission - would latch on and then steer the schoolbus-sized space telescope into a controlled re-entry. A sort of space cremation, most likely over the Pacific Ocean.

 

[pkohlmil]

Today + 5-more-years-for-Hubble = JWST ?

 

[TariqJMalik]

In terms of the decommissioning, isn't it true that the hooks (and I think I mean that almost literally) for a soft-docking mechanism will be put in place but what it would dock to is not even in the serious planning stage yet?

pkohlmil, you are correct. Right now, NASA's plan is to use a generic soft-docking mechanism, one it has developed for spacecraft use at the International Space Station. The robotic craft envisioned to steer Hubble down to its death is not yet built.

 

[MeteorWayne]

On a slightly off topic note, thanks to both of you for participating in this "event". Too often, the great minds here get very frustrated when we feel that no one is listening.
MW

 

[Andrea_Thompson]

Today + 5-more-years-for-Hubble = JWST ?

They're actually expecting that the two missions will overlap. Heaven for astronomers I'm sure.

 

[MeteorWayne]

On this mission, the astronauts are actually going to bring back the Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 and they're hoping it'll be up in the National Air & Space Museum before too long. I'd definitely go to see it!

Wow, I wasn't aware of that, didn't see it listed in the mission profiles at NASA. That's great news!

 

[Andrea_Thompson]

On this mission, the astronauts are actually going to bring back the Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 and they're hoping it'll be up in the National Air & Space Museum before too long. I'd definitely go to see it!

Wow, I wasn't aware of that, didn't see it listed in the mission profiles at NASA. That's great news!

Yeah, Ed Weiler mentioned that during this morning's briefing. Great news indeed.