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There are also two "Stubby Hubble" chassis sitting in storage because they're so obsolete that the NRO just donated them. However there is no budget to actually

There are also two "Stubby Hubble" chassis sitting in storage because they're so obsolete that the NRO just donated them. However there is no budget to actually be able to use them. If the famously secretive[1] NRO can just donate that, imagine how far ahead their newer stuff is. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_National_Reconnaissance_Office_space_telescope_donation_to_NASA https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_National_Reconnaissance_O... [1]: founded in 1960, but only officially acknowledged in 1973 and then by accident.

51Cards 4y ago
I think one of those is currently being turned into the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope, though I haven't heard about progress in awhile.
- contact9879 4y ago
  It's been renamed to the Nancy Grace Roman Telescope scheduled to launch May 2027. - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nancy_Grace_Roman_Space_Telescope https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nancy_Grace_Roman_Space_Telesc...
- adhesive_wombat 4y ago
  Well colour me updated! That's nice to hear.
rdhatt 4y ago
... imagine how far ahead their newer stuff is. Trump gave the whole world a good idea how far ahead the newer stuff is when he tweeted an image from an NRO satellite. Estimated at ~10cm/pixel resolution. Scott Manley published a great break down: https://youtu.be/JRLVFn9z0Gc https://youtu.be/JRLVFn9z0Gc