[extropy-chat] ASTRO: Hubble fate sealed

[Amara Graps]

Robert Bradbury:
>I suspect that it will go through its 3(?) year mission but there may
>be resistance to extending the mission as I believe was done with
>Galileo (if the Cassini equipment and power supply lasts that long).

Regarding Cassini:
The science planning for Cassini begins four years in advance because
of its spacecraft design (it does not have the rotating portion that the
Galileo S/C has, therefore, all instruments must coordinate closely with
each other for every second of measurements). We have already begun the
science planning for the Cassini 'extended mission', which begins
in 1998.

Still, I don't believe the time spent of hundreds of scientists is reason
enough for NASA to *not* cancel whatever missions it wants to cancel. The
time (years) and the money of three national space agencies was spent on
other NASA missions that have been cancelled, so you see my skepticism.
I agree that Cassini is a 'high-profile' mission, but with the direction
that NASA seems to be going today, I remain skeptical that it has a good
perspective on space missions.


Amara

-- 

Amara Graps, PhD
Istituto di Fisica dello Spazio Interplanetario (IFSI)
Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica (INAF),
Adjunct Assistant Professor Astronomy, AUR,
Roma, ITALIA     Amara.Graps at ifsi.rm.cnr.it