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Scientists Urge NASA to Plan Hubble Upgrade

Posted on: Tuesday, 27 July 2004, 06:00 CDT

WASHINGTON -- An expert panel from the National Academy of Sciences said Tuesday that the Hubble Space Telescope was too valuable to be allowed to die in orbit and that NASA should commit itself to a servicing mission to extend its life, perhaps with astronauts in a space shuttle.

"NASA should take no actions that would preclude a space shuttle servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope," the panel said in a letter to Sean O'Keefe, the head of NASA.

The committee of outside experts urged the space agency to commit itself to replacing two major instruments on the telescope, as well as upgrading its batteries and gyroscopes to extend its life. These were the objectives of a shuttle servicing mission that had been planned for 2005 but canceled by O'Keefe six months ago.

O'Keefe announced that he would not authorize a fourth shuttle mission to Hubble because it would be too risky for astronauts in light of recommendations from the Columbia Accident Investigation Board, which studied the loss of that shuttle and its crew of seven in February 2003.

After an uproar among astronomers, members of Congress and the public, O'Keefe said there was little chance that he would change his mind but added that he would consider having the work done by robots if that proved feasible.

He agreed to have the National Academy of Sciences' National Research Council study options for stretching out Hubble's useful life.

The panel said Tuesday that although astronauts had repaired the telescope in the past, there was no assurance that robots could do so. A proposed robotic mission would be "highly complex" with "inherent difficulties" associated with conducting delicate operations by remote control that have never been tried, it said.

"The proposed robotic mission to Hubble will essentially be an experimental test program that is expected to accomplish specific programmatic objectives at the same time," the panel wrote.

Reacting to the report, O'Keefe said in a statement that NASA would continue to assess innovative serving options for Hubble: "Along the way, we'll keep options open to assure the best possible outcome."

Although he did not specifically address a shuttle mission, he continued, "Just as we are committed to meeting the recommendations and findings of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board and returning the Space Shuttle to safe flight, we're committed to doing everything possible to safely extend the scientific life of this valuable asset."

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