2 ms·
Cost of launch is not really main reason why we don’t see more space based astronomy. 1. Space is a hostile place, and developing telescope that works there is
by justapassenger 6y ago
Cost of launch is not really main reason why we don’t see more space based astronomy.
1. Space is a hostile place, and developing telescope that works there is much harder.
2. There are very real limits on size and weight of what can be put there right now, and rocket equation is ruthless.
3. Any type of maintenance or upgrades are basically impossible, compared to earth based.
4. Adaptive optics were such a huge breakthrough, that basically negated need for most of space based telescopes.
- gpm 6y agoI would call cost of launch to space the main reason, just not the only significant one.
- TeMPOraL 6y agoReasons 2 and 3 are big part of why launches of expensive. There's a feedback loop in space launches: they're expensive, therefore you launch less, so you need to add redundancies and spend more time ensuring the payload will work, which raises the development cost and increases mass, which makes launches less frequent and more expensive. Conversely, reducing the cost of access to space means you can send more stuff that's less robust, which shortens development time and makes it less expensive, and of course makes technological progress faster. Which translates to: suddenly space telescopes may be more affordable, and more of them will be launched.
- gammarator 6y agoSome ground-based observatories have been productively operated for nearly a _century_, with improvements in instrumentation providing leaps forward in sensitivity. That amortizes the cost of the observatory (mirror, site, etc.) across many years. Even with cheaper launches it's much harder to get that benefit in space--servicing missions are much more expensive than driving up a mountain...