• Question: The Hubble Space Telescope is expected to stop functioning in approximately 2014, and will be suceeded by the James Webb Space Telescope. Would you continue to operate/service the HST?

    Asked by lwebb to Adam, Geoff, Rob, Sheila, Suzie on 16 Mar 2011 in Categories: .
    • Photo: Suzie Sheehy

      Suzie Sheehy answered on 16 Mar 2011:

      I’m not sure to be honest as I don’t work on either of them, but I would expect that once it is stopped being funded then it’s not being operated or serviced either.

    • Photo: Sheila Kanani

      Sheila Kanani answered on 16 Mar 2011:

      Good question. I think the plan is to totally decommission HST by the time JWST flies so we wouldn’t keep operating or paying for HST. I’m not sure what the plan for it is though. I think we should alter its orbit so it floats off into space taking pictures as it goes, right up until it dies 🙂

    • Photo: Adam Tuff

      Adam Tuff answered on 16 Mar 2011:

      I was reading a little while ago that the Hubble Space Telescopes electronics are very outdated now…when you think about what videogames they had in 1990 and how basic they were, and then look at videogames we produce now, you can see how much more powerful our computers have become since the Hubble was launched!
      If we could easily replace the computer systems in the Hubble with more advanced ones we would, but this would be extremely expensive and extremely difficult – I think the James Webb telescope is definitely worth the expense, and I think it’s time to let Hubble have a rest after 20 years of hard work.

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