New Neptune and Uranus Pictures
February 07 2004
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The
operators of the Hubble Space Telescope are being bombarded
by hundreds of e-mails suggesting how to save the Hubble after
NASA decided they won’t be sending the space shuttle to
service the telescope in 2006. NASA says they are considering
all the offers coming in from the public. The mission was considered
essential to enable the orbiting telescope to continue operating.
The Hubble Space Telescope has revolutionized the study of
astronomy with its pictures of the universe, such as the new
ones of Neptune and Uranus taken recently.
The fifth and final mission to the Hubble Telescope was to
be in 2006, before the planned retirement in 2010. The telescope
is estimated to fall out of orbit and crash to Earth in the
year 2011 or 2012. However, NASA says it does eventually plan
one final mission to Hubble, where a rocket will guide the
space telescope back to Earth for a crash in the Pacific.
The original plan was to display the Hubble Telescope at the
Smithsonian museum.
Since this mission has been terminated, NASA will focus on
President Bush’s plans to send humans to the moon and
Mars. And, all remaining missions of the shuttle, which is
also in the process of being terminated, will be used to complete
construction of the International Space Station.
Universe
Today January 22, 2004