Re: Robotic Hubble mission would cost $2 billion

From: Andrew Nowicki (andrew_at_nospam.com)
Date: 08/12/04 

Date: Fri, 13 Aug 2004 01:30:05 +0200

Andrew Nowicki <andrew@nospam.com> writes:
> Hubble Space Telescope is a sideshow.
> The real superstar is Dextre -- the
> first hardy space pioneer able build
> and repair space infrastructure 24
> hours a day, 365 days a year.

John Schilling wrote:

> This is a claim you really need to hold off on making
> until Dextre has been building and repairing space
> infrastructure for a year. Right now, you're the
> music promoter hyping his new act's first tour and/or
> album as the debut of a new "superstar".

We are talking about politics. U.S. astronauts and
most of the U.S. space establishment is trying to
kill Dextre's mission. They argue that sophisticated
telemanipulator must not be used to repair an
ailing satellite because it has never been used
for that purpose. This kind of political argument
is not new. When automobiles were introduced in
Britain the makers of horse drawn carriages argued
that the automobiles were inferior and they managed
to delay their use for a century with the help of
the so called Red Flag Law. To comply with the Law,
self-propelled vehicles on public roads in Britain
were proceeded by a man on foot waving a red flag
(or red lantern) and blowing a horn. Another law,
called the Locomotives Act, limited the speed of
self-propelled vehicles to 4 mph on country roads
and 2 mph in towns.