Re: MSNBC - How a 'safe haven' could help save Hubble

From: Brian Thorn (bthorn64_at_cox.net)
Date: 12/10/04 

Date: Thu, 09 Dec 2004 22:25:17 -0600

On Thu, 09 Dec 2004 14:26:53 GMT, Tom Kent <teeks99stuff@yahoo.com>
wrote:

>The reason to do this to HST is because it needs fixing anyway, not only
>are you getting a chance to test out this new software (and other pieces of
>the puzzle) but you get to save an asset that otherwise would be lost.
>Since you're going to spend the $2.2 billion anyway, why not get something
>out of it?

You're not. You're spending $3 billion or so a year to fly five, maybe
six Shuttle missions each year in support of ISS. Adding a flight to
Hubble won't increase the Shuttle budget by $2.2 billion. $3 billion /
6 = $.5 billion per Shuttle flight. But the incremental cost of a
Shuttle flight (adding one more to a given year) is only $100-200
million, so the Shuttle budget that year rises to $3.2 billion instead
of $3 billion.

Really, why anyone is even *considering* spending $2 billion for this
stupid robot is beyond me. There are much better things NASA could do
with the money right now, and if that's not argument enough, put that
$2 billion back into the treasury to help cut down the debt.

Brian

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