Hubble Space Telescope at Risk: Private Mission to Save It Raises Red Flags
Tags: hubble, news, space, nasa
Published: 2024-05-18 01:25:09

Rare glimpse of the Hubble Space Telescope undergoing final repairs in a space shuttle's cargo bay in 2009.

The Hubble Space Telescope has been snapping stellar shots of faraway galaxies and bright stars for over 30 years now! Thanks to Hubble, astrophysicists have been able to learn a ton about how the universe has evolved over time and explore some really mysterious cosmic phenomenon. 

But it seems Hubble's picture perfect days may soon come to an end around the year 2034. You see, Hubble's orbit is slowly decaying and it will eventually fall back down to Earth, burning up as it plunges through the atmosphere. 

That would be a real bummer because Hubble has provided some truly amazing images. Luckily, there may be a chance to save Hubble! A wealthy entrepreneur named Jared Isaacman recently had a chat with NASA. 

Jared is actually a private astronaut himself - he orbited our planet in a SpaceX capsule last year. He basically told NASA that he'd be willing to foot the bill for a repair mission to the Hubble Space Telescope. Jared said he'd cover the costs of sending a maintenance crew up there if NASA gave the okay. This could potentially save the space agency hundreds of millions of dollars. So who knows, with Jared's help, maybe we'll be able to keep getting awesome photos from Hubble for years to come!

**Hubble Space Telescope Repair Mission: To Save Hubble or Not?**

After first moving quickly to study Jared's idea of a private Hubble repair mission back in 2022, NASA has been pretty quiet about it lately. When reporters asked NASA for updates, they'd usually just say something like "We'll let you know something soon." 

According to some emails that were released, over a year ago NASA asked some Hubble experts for their thoughts on the proposed mission. Based on what those experts said, it sounds like they had some safety concerns with what was being planned. 

Lately Jared has been speaking out more publicly about this Hubble trip. He's said things like it's a "no brainer" and an "easy decision" for NASA to let it happen. Clearly he really wants to make this mission happen to help save Hubble!

If the private repair mission went well though, it could really help Hubble. The crew might be able to fix things like Hubble's ability to aim itself. They could also give it a boost to a higher orbit. This could potentially extend Hubble's super cool picture taking days by several more years! Fingers crossed NASA decides to give the green light.

**Hubble Space Telescope Repair Mission: Potential Risks and Politics**

Unfortunately, there is a chance things could go wrong on a private Hubble repair mission. If an accident occurred, it might damage the super valuable telescope beyond repair. And even worse, the astronauts trying to help Hubble could be left stuck with no way home, still attached to the broken space telescope. No one wants to imagine that kind of tragic outcome.

Jared has said that if NASA doesn't approve the mission, "politics" will be the reason why. Back in January, he tweeted that time is running out to save Hubble, since it seems like NASA isn't moving very quickly on this. During one interview, Jared suggested some people working at NASA might want to be the only ones who get to work on Hubble, since it's such a big deal. 

He hinted that maybe some insiders would rather see Hubble burn up in our atmosphere instead of having other groups in the space community like his be allowed access. It's too bad if certain agendas are getting in the way of potentially extending Hubble's super cool research years. Let's hope NASA makes a decision solely based on safety and helping science.

**Hubble Space Telescope Rescue Mission: Is It Really Possible?**

The dudes behind the plan to send some private astronauts on a spacewalk from a SpaceX capsule to repair the legendary Hubble Space Telescope sounded serious about making it happen. But even Andrew Feustel, a NASA astronaut who's repaired Hubble before, isn't totally sure it's a straightforward as they seem to think. 

When asked, the NASA PR person didn't say much about what they thought of the idea. And the spokesman for the billionaire leading the private mission said their training schedule was too hectic for an interview right now. SpaceX also stayed quiet on the matter.

Feustel, however, called the plan "quite reasonable and admirable" in concept. No one doubts spacewalking is possible in general. And he respects the pioneer spirit of the rich guy spearheading things in the private spaceflight world.

That said, no one's ever actually done a spacewalk from one of SpaceX's passenger capsules yet. Plus, their brand new spacewalking suits haven't been tested in real life conditions. So according to Feustel, NASA can't really judge how likely a success it would be based on past missions. 

The best way to ease concerns, he notes, would be for the private team to demonstrate solid spacewalking skills and prove the suit works as advertised. Only then could the feasibility of using those same methods on Hubble really be evaluated.

**Testing the Waters for Hubble Space Telescope Rescue**

The first attempt to practice a private spacewalk may happen very soon, as part of an ambitious new "Polaris Program" spearheaded by billionaire businessman Jared Isaacman. He's sponsoring a series of SpaceX test flights to rapidly push the limits of commercial space exploration. 

Isaacman made his fortune starting an online payment processing company in his parents' basement as a bold 16-year-old. He also owns a fleet of military jets through another company. But the tech mogul's real passion seems to be piloting adventures to orbit and beyond on SpaceX rockets. 

Last year, Isaacman commanded the world's first all-civilian orbital space mission called Inspiration4. Now for Polaris Program's debut flight, he plans to strap in alongside another crewmate on a SpaceX capsule for an important milestone - becoming the first private astronauts to conduct a spacewalk. 

Naturally this risky test has faced delays. But organizers insist it's only to thoroughly ensure safety during launch, spaceflight and landing before tackling such a complex objective. Mastering those skills could eventually help enable an even grander goal of Isaacman's - leading a crew on a daring private mission to repair the legendary Hubble Space Telescope.

**Free Repairs for Hubble? NASA Mulls Offer from Billionaire Space Pioneer**

In 2022, SpaceX pitched a surprising offer to NASA - what if the next mission in their cutting-edge Polaris Program was to refuel and repair the Hubble Space Telescope? And the space agency could essentially get this vital servicing work done for free. 

Considering NASA already relies heavily on SpaceX for crewed launches to the International Space Station, thespace agency took this proposal extremely seriously. Providing longer life for the iconic Hubble would be hugely valuable.

It's been over 15 years since NASA's final shuttle servicing mission extended Hubble's lifespan. Yet incredibly, the 34-year-old 'scope is soldiering on in good health apart from minor glitches. While astronomers remain desperate for more time with the powerful observatory, NASA says existing operations can manage without full functionality.

So this generous potential offer from billionaire driver of commercial space innovation Jared Isaacman and his Polaris Program partners at SpaceX could be a game changer. It remains to be seen if NASA decides to accept the chance for a private sector refresh of one of history's most influential orbiting scientific instruments.

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