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Could be wrong but my understanding is the issue preventing repair is the expense in getting to the Hubble. So whether it's via robot or human spacewalk (thoug

Could be wrong but my understanding is the issue preventing repair is the expense in getting to the Hubble. So whether it's via robot or human spacewalk (though a manned operation is even more expensive obviously) the issue is the prohibitive expense of getting to the Hubble to fix it.

mabbo 8y ago
Orbital apogee is only 540.9 km[0]. SpaceX launched a satellite to an orbit of 640km last night for what I presume was it's usual $60m launch price. So 'getting to the Hubble' is pretty low in price, all things considered. Now the hard part: building something that can fix the Hubble. Humans would be good at making repairs, but the SpaceX Dragon capsule doesn't have an airlock, so that won't work easily. Repairs might be doable by a robot, but I suspect the easier option would be to simply attach new parts to it to perform the broken functionality. If you can build the new piece for $40m, that's $100m to add another 20+ years to the lifespan of this incredible piece of equipment. Heck, sounds like something Bezos might do just for fun and as a test for his New Glenn rockets. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hubble_Space_Telescope https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hubble_Space_Telescope
- ethagknight 8y ago
  What about just building a new one to spec and launching that?
- dlgeek 8y ago
  > Humans would be good at making repairs, but the SpaceX Dragon capsule doesn't have an airlock, so that won't work easily Can Dragon 2 do what most capsules do and just cycle the capsule interior into vacuum then open the door? (With everyone in suits first, obviously).
- skykooler 8y ago
  > the SpaceX Dragon capsule doesn't have an airlock Neither did the Apollo moon landers, or the Gemini missions where NASA first tested spacewalks. Instead they just depressurized the whole cabin, making it into one big airlock. Presumably this would work for the Dragon as well.
  - mabbo 8y ago
    I hadn't realized that! Well, potentially possible then.
- swerling 8y ago
  Rather than repair it in space, would it be easier to bring it back to earth, refurbish it and relaunch? That would be $120M plus refurbish costs. Or am I underestimating how hard it would be to bring it back to the ground?
  - snowwrestler 8y ago
    The only thing that was ever designed to bring substantial mass back from orbit was the Space Shuttle Orbiter, which is decommissioned. Even then, I'm sure Hubble was not designed to fold back up and fit into that cargo bay. I think it's instructive that they never tried that with any of the earlier Hubble repair missions.
  - JumpCrisscross 8y ago
    > would it be easier to bring it back to earth, refurbish it and relaunch? At that point you’d just launch a new one. Earth’s gravity well assesses a steep tax.
  - mabbo 8y ago
    This would be incredibly difficult, sadly. The key thing to remember when it comes to space is energy/momentum. Right now, the Hubble Space Telescope is 24,000 lb of mass moving at 4.7 miles per second. To get it back down to earth, you need to somehow slow it down. First, slow it down enough to reach the atmosphere and then protect it as the atmo drag slowed it the rest of the way. I don't even think the Space Shuttle, were it still around, would be capable of doing that.
- kevin_thibedeau 8y ago
  The Dextre robot on ISS was originally proposed for the last Hubble repair mission. All it takes is money and initiative to send up another.
furgooswft13 8y ago
It's in Low Earth Orbit. I think we could get a rocket to it if we launched from the same location that the Shuttle launched from when it went to repair it. Remote repair using a robot is a whole other issue, and I don't think we have the tech developed to do this reliably any time soon.

mabbo 8y ago

Orbital apogee is only 540.9 km[0]. SpaceX launched a satellite to an orbit of 640km last night for what I presume was it's usual $60m launch price. So 'getting to the Hubble' is pretty low in price, all things considered. Now the hard part: building something that can fix the Hubble. Humans would be good at making repairs, but the SpaceX Dragon capsule doesn't have an airlock, so that won't work easily. Repairs might be doable by a robot, but I suspect the easier option would be to simply attach new parts to it to perform the broken functionality. If you can build the new piece for $40m, that's $100m to add another 20+ years to the lifespan of this incredible piece of equipment. Heck, sounds like something Bezos might do just for fun and as a test for his New Glenn rockets. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hubble_Space_Telescope https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hubble_Space_Telescope

ethagknight 8y ago
What about just building a new one to spec and launching that?
dlgeek 8y ago
> Humans would be good at making repairs, but the SpaceX Dragon capsule doesn't have an airlock, so that won't work easily Can Dragon 2 do what most capsules do and just cycle the capsule interior into vacuum then open the door? (With everyone in suits first, obviously).
skykooler 8y ago
> the SpaceX Dragon capsule doesn't have an airlock Neither did the Apollo moon landers, or the Gemini missions where NASA first tested spacewalks. Instead they just depressurized the whole cabin, making it into one big airlock. Presumably this would work for the Dragon as well.
- mabbo 8y ago
  I hadn't realized that! Well, potentially possible then.
swerling 8y ago
Rather than repair it in space, would it be easier to bring it back to earth, refurbish it and relaunch? That would be $120M plus refurbish costs. Or am I underestimating how hard it would be to bring it back to the ground?
- snowwrestler 8y ago
  The only thing that was ever designed to bring substantial mass back from orbit was the Space Shuttle Orbiter, which is decommissioned. Even then, I'm sure Hubble was not designed to fold back up and fit into that cargo bay. I think it's instructive that they never tried that with any of the earlier Hubble repair missions.
- JumpCrisscross 8y ago
  > would it be easier to bring it back to earth, refurbish it and relaunch? At that point you’d just launch a new one. Earth’s gravity well assesses a steep tax.
- mabbo 8y ago
  This would be incredibly difficult, sadly. The key thing to remember when it comes to space is energy/momentum. Right now, the Hubble Space Telescope is 24,000 lb of mass moving at 4.7 miles per second. To get it back down to earth, you need to somehow slow it down. First, slow it down enough to reach the atmosphere and then protect it as the atmo drag slowed it the rest of the way. I don't even think the Space Shuttle, were it still around, would be capable of doing that.
kevin_thibedeau 8y ago
The Dextre robot on ISS was originally proposed for the last Hubble repair mission. All it takes is money and initiative to send up another.

furgooswft13 8y ago

It's in Low Earth Orbit. I think we could get a rocket to it if we launched from the same location that the Shuttle launched from when it went to repair it. Remote repair using a robot is a whole other issue, and I don't think we have the tech developed to do this reliably any time soon.