Opinion
 

Hubble is NASA's best exploration option

by Paul Hensarling

The Hubble Space Telescope has been the National Aeronautics and Space Administrationis bright spot in the exploration of space. Now it is being canceled because of Bushis new call to put a manned base on the moon and conduct a manned mission to Mars. But the HST is a treasure that is gathering more new data about the universe than a thousand manned missions to Mars could ever dig up. The HST, a jointly funded effort by NASA and the European Space Agency, is the worldis single most valuable space asset for pure scientific knowledge concerning the overall nature of the universe.

The prohibitive cost of a moon base and a mission to Mars has seemingly put an end to the HST. No future updates are being funded. The last servicing mission was supposed to be done with the shuttle. Now that the shuttle fleet is grounded, the only remaining missions to the International Space Station will be to fulfill Americais contract toward its maintenance. If anything, a new and more powerful telescope in the visible range should be planned. The James Webb Telescope (http://ngst.gsfc.nasa.gov/), which is still being funded and is set to be launched in 2011, sees only in the infrared spectrum. The Spitzer Space Telescope, launched in 2003, also only sees in infrared light. These are complements to the Hubble, but not replacements. The only visible telescopes left will be the ones that we have on Earth, which are satisfactory, but not nearly as powerful as the HST.

The HST is still functioning well and will seemingly continue to do so for several more years. There are six gyroscopes onboard the HST that help to point it, but only four work. It was built to work with only three functioning. NASA engineers are working so that the HST can function with only two.

There are also two instruments already built for the HST, which were to be installed on the next servicing mission. They are the Wide Field Camera 3 and the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph. Both cost $167 million to build, and are now in limbo. While the main telescope is in visible light, there are other instruments on board that see in other parts of the spectrum. These instruments will make the HST more powerful than it already is.

One scenario has the Russians servicing the HST, but that is probably out of the question for political reasons. The Space Telescope Science Institute (http://www.stsci.edu/resources/), which is responsible for operating the HST, will set up a Web site to take suggestions and give the status of the HST. There are also links to all aspects of the HST scientific observations.

Our most valuable space resource for pure scientific knowledge that can benefit mankind for the least cost is the Hubble Space Telescope. These views, far from our measly little solar system, far across the vastness of space, tell us more about the universe than any expensive moon base or Mars mission ever could. The HST should have its last servicing mission. It should not be abandoned, and, in fact, a newer visible-light space telescope should be in the works to replace our magnificent Hubble Space Telescope.

Hensarling, an editorial writer for The Daily Cougar,
can be reached via dccampus@mail.uh.edu.