NASA Revives Main Hubble Telescope Camera 111
antikarma writes "NASA engineers successfully activated the Advanced Camera for Surveys at 9:12 a.m. EDT Friday aboard the agency's Hubble Space Telescope. Checkout was completed at 10:20 a.m. EDT with science observations scheduled to resume Sunday, July 2. 'This is the best possible news,' said Ed Ruitberg, deputy associate director for the Astrophysics Division at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. 'We were confident we could work through the camera issue, and now we can get back to doing more incredible science with the camera.'"
To Science (Score:5, Insightful)
Due to Iraq and George Bush , most people in Western Europe have a little distain for the American Government. In fact, where I live, people often break in to an American accent when they do something stupid. I imagine this is because everyone sees Channel 4 news where we see the "Answers from Genesis museum" and thinks: "Only the stupid could indulge such nonsense."
With that necessary rant taken well and truly aside, I want to thank American for doing what no-one else can afford to do: put real science equipment in to space. It's your taxes that pay for the Hubble Space Telescope. This is a project that has furthered science in a very unique way. It is project that Galileo would have dreamed of. It is a marvel, a temple ,even, to science.....
With all the gratitude in my heart, I still feel America confuses me. To paraphrase the film Contact: "It is capable of such beautiful dreams and such horrible nightmares." It is a land of contradiction; of promise and of despair. It is of science,and religion, of the smart and the idiot. It's is so huge that it contradicts and astounds. It is the country where opposites can be equally true.
As a British man, I love America and I hope the feeling is mutual. I raise this glass to the future of Science and hope you will raise your glass too! To Science!
Simon.
Re:To Science (Score:3, Funny)
Re:To Science (Score:1)
Re:To Science (Score:2)
Does this mean Mike Myers in an illegal alien?
Re:To Science (Score:2)
Re:To Science (Score:5, Funny)
Hubble is a joint project by NASA and ESA (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Hubble is a joint project by NASA and ESA (Score:2)
Re:Hubble is a joint project by NASA and ESA (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Hubble is a joint project by NASA and ESA (Score:1)
Re:Hubble is a joint project by NASA and ESA (Score:1)
Re:To Science (Score:1)
Maybe it is the Iraqi petroleum that puts the real science equipment into space.
America has lovable and detestable feautures in it, I agree with that but I really don`t think that it is the American people who put the equipment there.
Re:To Science (Score:1, Insightful)
Re:To Science (Score:1)
we ware more like $8.00 per gallon here in Germany now..and it's rising..
I really should'nt surf slashdot anymore
Re:To Science (Score:2)
How much of that $8.00/gallon is taxes imposed by your government, and how much of it is the retailer's cost and profit margin?
Re:To Science (Score:1)
Re:To Science (Score:2)
Re:To Science (Score:1)
Re:To Science (Score:3, Funny)
At long last, some sign of approval [theonion.com] from our parent country after all these long hard years! I'm going to tear up.
But really, cheers!
Re:To Science (Score:1)
Re:To Science (Score:2)
It is of science, and religion, of the smart and the idiot.
Sounds like that applies to a wider domain than America. /.
Maybe even all of
Re:To Science (Score:2)
"As a British man, I love America and I hope the feeling is mutual."
err, I love you to, as a friend. Any other kind of love is going to require your sister.
SCIENCE!
Re:To Science (Score:5, Insightful)
Yet, this country pulled out of it. We have a system that allows good men to fix their country. As we see today, the Supreme Court acts as a break on a President who runs out of control, or a Congress. We have checks and balances and free speech.
Those tools pulled us out of a deeper bit only 150 years ago. A blip in the history of civilization. We can do the same today. Or we can just bitch and moan and throw up our hands.
The choice is yours.
Fantastic (Score:1)
I wish I had something more to add. You'll just have to settle for my kudos.
+1 Inspiring (Score:4, Insightful)
No, things will have to get pretty bad before we realize that Jesus isn't coming to fix it for us.
Re:To Science (Score:2)
Times have changed. When your country pulled out of its earlier problems, the technology to spy on individuals and extinguish any dissent was very primitive compared to what exists today. Yes technology puts much more power in the hands of the individual but unfortunately the same rings truer of government.
Secondly what suggestion do you have for a non-US citizen to fix your country. We can't vote and its not our place to say how it's run except for the u
Re:To Science (Score:2)
Times have changed. When your country pulled out of its earlier problems, the technology to spy on individuals and extinguish any dissent was very primitive compared to what exists today. Yes technology puts much more power in the hands of the individual but unfortunately the same rings truer of government.
Yup. And I have access to much greater technology than did my great grandparents. I can keep up with how my congressman vote as it happens. 150 years a
Re:To Science (Score:1)
Don't be silly ... (Score:2)
Re:To Science (Score:1)
USA is more like "Europe" than a Country in Europe (Score:5, Interesting)
In a day, I can travel by car across most of western Europe, through vastly different populations and beliefs. Here, it can take me that long to traverse Texas. Driving 24 hours on, 8 hours off, it took me 3 and half days to drive from Phoenix to Boston. Where would that take you in Europe?
Where I live in Maine, I find great similarities to the Bavarian countryside. You surely couldn't say that about the desert southwest in the USA.
A certain Austrian, having been elected leader of Germany some years back assumed that our differences would prevent us ever even agreeing with each other enough to be a serious player on the world scene -- let alone threaten his plans for world domination. That was as big a mistake as his election in the first place.
Our states and our divergent people are like a big Italian family. There are always some who don't speak to others, big traumatic fights, and long held grudges -- but when faced with a threat from outside, nearly instant, unified, reactionary, over response is close at hand to deal with that threat.
--31
Re:USA is more like "Europe" than a Country in Eur (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
American Accent??? (Score:2)
Yes the feeling is mutual. If I may comment, however, I think the expectations for America are really high, partially because of our own pride, partially because of a blesse
Re:To Science (Score:1)
I regret to remind you that America (hence Americans) is also responsible for Microsoft. People around the world don't have to watch channel 4 to hate us. They just have to switch on their PC.
Sincerely,
-F
Re:To Science (Score:2)
All offensive action into Canada taken by the United States was successfully repelled, and so, too, was all ret
Re:To Science (Score:2)
Instead of scrapping these projects, why not cut the US defense budget? At an excess of $419.3 billion for 2006, I'm sure even if only $20 billion (~10 B-2's or a few ICBM's) was shaved off that, a lot of the problems you describe could be taken care of. NASA's current b
Re:To Science (Score:2, Interesting)
As a Texan who had the happiness of owning a home in England for three years, I'd have to say I love the UK but it often disappoints.
The biggest difference between Americans and Brits is the sheep-like willingness of the average Brit to give up a lot of liberty for a little security. England really is a nation of girlie men. That's fine, but then they turn around and and join American moonbats in the ridiculous Bush-Hit
Re:To Science (Score:3, Funny)
Re:To Science (Score:1)
It's more like one giant nursery for slow children.
Re:To Science (Score:2)
Besides space science, the American taxpayer has paid dearly to protect your sorry asses from totalitarianism at least twice. Most people in Western Europe would be speaking either German or Russian if not for the American government and the American people.
Re:To Science (Score:1)
That explains all that is good - like the subject at hand.
Unfortunately, America is currently being run by a class of lying, corrupt, dishonest, essentially murderous, crooks.....headed by one G W Bush.
This eplains much that is bad - even lethal.
Americans have difficulty changing this situation because:
1. Their highly concentrated (in ownership terms) media support Bush for their own profit
Come on now. (Score:2, Interesting)
As a fellow Brit to the original poster, I'm never going to forget this post (I have it bookmarked), I too was watching a big screen when 9/11 happened:
http://politics.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=15511 1&cid=13001810 [slashdot.org]
Slightly wrong about the BBC whipping up a band - it was the band of the Royal Household Cavalry (I think), ordered by no less than her Maj.
They really had to do this (Score:5, Funny)
Nothing for you to see here. Please move along.
Nothing to see here (Score:2)
Are we sure it's fixed?
Re:Nothing to see here (Score:2)
I don't think the engineers know the cause yet. They probably will figure out when the instrument is retrieved from the HST and be brought down to the ground (if that ever happens).
Iiiittt's BaaAAAaaack! It's Scien-terrific! (Score:2, Interesting)
Let me be among the first to exclaim "Yay!" Like, totally forsooth and verily!
I was just in the biggest funk about this and not just because the DVD on the new Sky and Telescope reminded me of what we'd be missing. I know there's all sorts of swell and really keen new stuff on the way, but I've just got so used to going to bed at night, snug and secure in the knowledge that the big guy was still up there looking for spiffy cosmic phenomena.
I for one rewelcome our HST overlord.
Re:Iiiittt's BaaAAAaaack! It's Scien-terrific! (Score:2)
I for one rewelcome our HST overlord."
Hunter S. Thompson?Re:Iiiittt's BaaAAAaaack! It's Scien-terrific! (Score:1)
It's Scien-terrific! :)
Well, at least that's not as bad as " doing [more incredible] science "..
Re:Iiiittt's BaaAAAaaack! It's Scien-terrific! (Score:2)
Ex.
Q: Hey, what are you doing? (gestures to lab equipment)
A: I'm sciencing, what does it look like?
Re:Iiiittt's BaaAAAaaack! It's Scien-terrific! (Score:1)
You haven't yet met the (mis-)managers where I work...
Re:Iiiittt's BaaAAAaaack! It's Scien-terrific! (Score:2)
There's a DVD in the July S&T? What's on it? Worthwhile? Normally I only pick up the January issue for the calendar.
It's the August issue, a DVD of Hubble highlights.
pure admiration (Score:5, Interesting)
Whenever I think of the galaxies, outer space or human observation to these I cannot help the feeling of awe and admiration. I checked out the pictures on the web-site and I felt like I was watching Kubrick`s Oddysey. I imagine and see ( thanks to 10 times more powerful Hubble`s objectives ) the vast galaxies, millions of stars and the light reflected from them and converted to miliwatts of electrical energy in the human brain. I see the real physics out there, intersecting its ways with philosphy. That is really something different from what they do in solid state, or applied physics.
Hubble and its even more powerful descendants will enlighten the secrets of universe,
Hyperlink in a quote? (Score:2)
Quote marks are supposed to mean that it's a quote
MST3k (Score:3, Funny)
Re:MST3k (Score:2, Funny)
'This is the best possible news,' ...NOT (Score:5, Funny)
That's the best possible news.
Re:'This is the best possible news,' ...NOT (Score:1)
Re:'This is the best possible news,' ...NOT (Score:1)
Yes, yes I do. And if you are ANY american you will want one too.
Re:'This is the best possible news,' ...NOT (Score:2)
Yes, yes it is.
What would you rather have, A beer in 6 minutes, or the identical beer in 6 weeks?
Re:'This is the best possible news,' ...NOT (Score:2)
Re:'This is the best possible news,' ...NOT (Score:2)
Joke stolen from the late great Mitch Hedberg [wikiquote.org].
Re:'This is the best possible news,' ...NOT (Score:1)
Re:'This is the best possible news,' ...NOT (Score:2)
Hubble (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Hubble (Score:1)
(Shortcut to any offended math geeks: I know my comment makes no sense mathematically. Thanks for eschewing the explanations.)
Re:Hubble (Score:2)
It's OK. I just rotated your post 90 degrees to the x, y, and z axes and it made perfect sense.
Re:Hubble (Score:1)
Re:Hubble (Score:5, Informative)
Being a purely politically funded venture, nailing down the cost is difficult, but varies.
$300 million [futron.com]
$600 million [spaceprojects.com]
$500 million [worldspaceflight.com]
$55 million incremental, $1.3 billion when you include facilities, research, engineering, etc... [worldspaceflight.com]
If you take a rough midpoint and say $500 million per maintenance, the break even point would be three missions. Now, a huge portion of a satellite's cost is the R&D just to design the thing. If you produce multiple ones, the cost drops substantially. Produce multiple hubbles and soon they'd cost under a billion each. Meanwhile you can still do a great deal of updating on the ground.
I'll admit that I'd prefer to scrap the shuttle entirely, replacing it with boosters, dedicated personal carriers, and source maintenance missions from a space station. This would hopefully drastically reduce the cost of maintaining it, and might change the equations again.
Re:Hubble (Score:2)
Re:Hubble (Score:3, Insightful)
The problem is - it's not a straigtforward black and white accounting problem. There's a fair bit of psychology and politics in there as well.
It's easier to get money for a project already in progress, especially one showing results and with a high level of public popularity. I
Re:Hubble (Score:1)
Ode to the Hubble repair crew (Score:3, Interesting)
Eye in space, soon to be gone,
We can't just let it be.
It once was off but now is on
Was blind, but now can see.
Buffet (Score:1)
Re:Buffet (Score:2)
i-can-see-you-again dept. (Score:3, Funny)
Re:i-can-see-you-again dept. (Score:2)
Or the "how-many-fingers-am-i-holding-up dept"
ah, they "activated" it, did they? (Score:3, Funny)
Yay! (Score:2)
Even though it got off to a rough start, it's been one of the best things NASA ever put into space.
Sure, it will be superceded in the future with something better but even so, it's a magnificent tool and
should be kept in service as long as physically possible.
ACS not repaired; revived using the backup mode (Score:4, Informative)
Historically speaking this marks the half-life time of the mission. It has operated for four years; I expect it to work 3 to 5 more years now.
I don't know if the controllers (Sides 1 and 2) are identical; it wasn't for the STIS and they need to run a series of re-calibration before resuming its science operations. I hope that isn't the case here. I'm supposed to use that camera this month and next.
Re:ACS not repaired; revived using the backup mode (Score:2)