Hubble must live longer: SpaceX proposes a bold plan for NASA

Hubble has struggled for years, but continues to provide valuable scientific data. Many are used to the idea of ​​slowly but surely bidding farewell to the silver cylinder in orbit. But things could go differently.

Just because something is new doesn’t mean the old technology has gone bad

On April 24, 1990, Hubble was launched into Earth orbit in the belly of the space shuttle Discovery. More than 30 years later, the space telescope still provides amazing pictures of the universe, which only got a face with its help. However, engineers have had to show increased creativity in recent years to be able to More and more components fail It does not immediately mean the end of the entire task. But as with other electronics: once you start debugging, the end point seems to be in sight. Hubble was previously expected to die in the 2030s, but perhaps the telescope will be able to escape its fate once again.

SpaceX Dragon can…
… Extend Hubble’s Life

As announced by NASA, they want to study possibilities with SpaceX to use existing technology from Elon Musk Space companies to extend the life of Hubble again. The observatory is currently flying around the Earth at an altitude of about 540 km, but this orbit is becoming less and less due to the residual friction in the atmosphere. Previous shuttle missions have repeatedly dragged Hubble into a higher orbit here, and there is also a propulsion system on board that cannot fully compensate for the effects of air resistance.

Technical feasibility is checked

This is where SpaceX’s Dragon capsule could serve as Hubble’s new repair and towing vehicle, so to speak. “A few months ago, SpaceX came up with this idea NASA close to conducting a study on whether a commercial crew could help revive our Hubble spacecraft,” said NASA chief scientist Thomas Zurbuchen. Physics. However, before NASA can take the money into its own hands, SpaceX must first demonstrate technical feasibility.

Hubble is of course still of “invaluable value” to NASA, but also to the international scientific community, so it only makes sense to research all efforts to extend its lifespan. It will be interesting to see how this idea develops further.

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NASA