Catch22,

Indeed it was – and is.

This decision guarantees that the Hubble will go off-line before NASA’s scheduled replacement telescope, the James Webb Space Telescope, in 2011, but it is unclear whether that project will be affected.

Anyone, not just professional astronomers, can download over the internet all Hubble's images just one year after they are taken. In their first year, Hubble's observations belong to the astronomer who carries them out. After that they belong to everyone.

Gentlefolk,

Spirit has stopped sending useful data to Earth and mission scientists are unable to send it commands.

NASA says the problem could either be due to a major power fault, software corruption or memory corruption.

Bad Karma!

Gentlefolk,

NASA chief Sean O'Keefe has agreed to reconsider his decision to abandon the Hubble Space Telescope! Mr. O'Keefe has now asked Harold Gehman, who led the Columbia accident inquiry, to look into the Hubble issue.

No more servicing would limit Hubble's life to approximately three more years.

He made the decision earlier this month because he decided that flying the shuttle anywhere other than to the International Space Station was too dangerous following the Columbia disaster. If anything went wrong on a flight, the shuttle's astronauts would at least be able to wait on the ISS until a way was found to bring them down safely to Earth.

But astronomers pointed out that NASA would also have to plan for a situation in which the space shuttle got into space but could not dock with the ISS. In this scenario, NASA would have to ensure that astronauts could inspect the shuttle, and perhaps repair it, without help from the ISS.

It follows, therefore, that if the shuttle can go into space without visiting the ISS, it should also be able to visit the Hubble telescope as well.

I sure hope that this logic is as persuasive to Mr. Gehmen as it is too me!

Gentlefolk,

NASA has, alas, said no to the - hoped for by many - Hubble reprieve.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3474891.stm

No doubt to fall on the Australian outback in ten yeears time.

Catch22,

On a happier note, I heard that NASA secretly sent a number of Holsteins into orbit for experimental purposes.









...they called it the herd shot round the world.

...this just in.
 

Gentlefolk,

I have been watching and listening to the news briefing from NASA today, and some of the rocks that Opportunity has been examining were once "washed with water"!

Surfs up!

Gentlefolk,

Here's a link to the BBC

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3524275.stm