EDITORIAL: NASA Prepares to Re-Energize Hubble Telescope

Aug. 27–We are heartened by the news that NASA has decided not to abandon the Hubble telescope, after all.

The amazing device has been peering into the cosmos for 15 years and has provided a wealth of information about outer space.

Its expected life was to end in 2007, when NASA would send up a device that would attach itself to the telescope and guide it to a watery grave somewhere on Earth.

But the scientific community and some members of Congress came to its defense, and plans are being made to keep the ‘scope operating for five years after its original demise.

A proposed mission will have as its goal recharging or replacing its batteries and having its gyroscopes overhauled.

Our interest in Hubble stems from its roots in the area. It was Norwalk’s Perkin-Elmer Corp., later bought out by Hughes Aircraft, located in Danbury, that prepared the giant lens for the telescope.

Despite some early mishaps, the local contribution was soon orbiting the Earth, about 360 miles overhead.

With the “service call” and the addition of additional devices, Hubble will be able to continue to contribute to the growing mountain of information about space and how it influences us here on Earth.

—–

To see more of The Hour, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.thehour.com.

(c) 2004, The Hour, Norwalk, Conn. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News. For information on republishing this content, contact us at (800) 661-2511 (U.S.), (213) 237-4914 (worldwide), fax (213) 237-6515, or e-mail reprints@krtinfo.com.

PKI,