ok...on to the story,

The full news release story:

NASA's best-recognized, longest-lived, and most prolific space observatory zooms past a threshold of 20 years of operation this month. On April 24, 1990, the space shuttle and crew of STS-31 were launched to deploy the Hubble Space Telescope into a low Earth orbit. What followed was one of the most remarkable sagas of the space age. Hubble's unprecedented capabilities made it one of the most powerful science instruments ever conceived by humans, and certainly the one most embraced by the public. Hubble discoveries revolutionized nearly all areas of current astronomical research, from planetary science to cosmology. And, its pictures were unmistakably out of this world.

At times Hubble's starry odyssey played out like a space soap opera, with broken equipment, a bleary-eyed primary mirror, and even a space shuttle rescue/repair mission cancellation. But the ingenuity and dedication of Hubble scientists, engineers, and NASA astronauts have allowed the observatory to rebound time and time again. Its crisp vision continues to challenge scientists with exciting new surprises and to enthrall the public with ever more evocative color images.

NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), and the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) are celebrating Hubble's journey of exploration with a stunning new picture, online educational activities, an opportunity for people to explore galaxies as armchair scientists, and an opportunity for astronomy enthusiasts to send in their own personal greetings to Hubble for posterity.

NASA is releasing today a brand new Hubble photo of a small portion of one of the largest seen star-birth regions in the galaxy, the Carina Nebula. Towers of cool hydrogen laced with dust rise from the wall of the nebula. The scene is reminiscent of Hubble's classic "Pillars of Creation" photo from 1995, but is even more striking in appearance. The image captures the top of a three-light-year-tall pillar of gas and dust that is being eaten away by the brilliant light from nearby bright stars. The pillar is also being pushed apart from within, as infant stars buried inside it fire off jets of gas that can be seen streaming from towering peaks like arrows sailing through the air.

Hubble fans worldwide are being invited to share the ways the telescope has affected them. They can send an e-mail, post a Facebook message, use the Twitter hashtag #hst20, or send a cell phone text message. Or, they can visit the "Messages to Hubble" page on http://hubblesite.org, type in their entry, and read selections from other messages that have been received. Fan messages will be stored in the Hubble data archive along with the telescope's many terabytes of science data. Someday, future researchers will be able to read these messages and understand how Hubble had such an impact on the world.

The public will also have an opportunity to be at-home scientists by helping astronomers sort out the thousands of galaxies seen in a deep Hubble observation. STScI is partnering with the Galaxy Zoo consortium of scientists to launch an Internet-based astronomy project (http://hubble.galaxyzoo.org) where amateur astronomers can peruse and sort galaxies from Hubble's deepest view of the universe into their classic shapes: spiral, elliptical, and irregular. Dividing the galaxies into categories will allow astronomers to study how they relate to one another and provide clues that might help scientists understand how they formed.

For students, STScI is opening an education portal called "Celebrating Hubble's 20th Anniversary" (http://amazing-space.stsci.edu/hubble_20/). It offers links to "fun facts" and trivia about Hubble, a news story that chronicles the Earth-orbiting observatory's life and discoveries, and the IMAX "Hubble 3D" educator guide. An anniversary poster containing Hubble's "hall-of-fame" images, including the Eagle Nebula and Saturn, is also being offered with downloadable classroom activity information.

To date, Hubble has looked at over 30,000 celestial objects and amassed over one-half million pictures in its archive. The last heroic astronaut servicing mission to Hubble in May 2009 made it 100 times more powerful than when it was launched. In addition to its irreplaceable scientific importance, Hubble brings cosmic wonders into millions of homes and schools every day. For the past 20 years the public has become co-explorers with this wondrous observatory.

http://www.hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/releases/2010/13/full/

This NASA Hubble Space Telescope image captures the chaotic activity atop a three-light-year-tall pillar of gas and dust that is being eaten away by the brilliant light from nearby bright stars. The pillar is also being assaulted from within, as infant stars buried inside it fire off jets of gas that can be seen streaming from towering peaks. This turbulent cosmic pinnacle lies within a tempestuous stellar nursery called the Carina Nebula, located 7,500 light-years away in the southern constellation Carina. The image celebrates the 20th anniversary of Hubble's launch and deployment into an orbit around Earth. Hubble was launched April 24, 1990.

It would seem incomprehensible that a device delivering so much science so well should be thought of as close to end-of-life. Surely to goodness there is a way to continue its good works. Many (many!) other things in this world can wait for the reletively small amount it would take to keep Hubble producing good science in comparison.

Regards,

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It would seem incomprehensible that a device delivering so much science so well should be thought of as close to end-of-life. Surely to goodness there is a way to continue its good works. ...

There's a series of newer telescopes with much newer technology to be launched into orbit that between them will look much further than Hubble can. The last servicing mission to Hubble will hopefully keep it going long enough to keep astronomers busy until the new instruments come online.

I think Hubble was a great idea based on the promise of cheap, regular and reliable shuttle flights. Hence, an overly expensive upgradable chassis was worthwhile to then allow 'frequent' servicing and upgrades.

As history has turned out, the shuttle was very much more expensive and restricted than was ever envisaged. Also, Hubble had to be serviced and upgraded much more extensively than it was ever designed for... Then again, very careful operation has extended its unserviced life dramatically.

Hubble has given outstanding results and continues to do so.

However, for the cost of Hubble + Shuttle servicing missions, we may well have been able to have gained greater benefit from a whole series of independently operated telescopes, as is the plan now for the successors to Hubble.


The question is: Would we have got more out of a series of telescopes instead of servicing and upgrading the one Hubble?

In terms of technology, I think a series of (expendable) telescopes would have worked better. However, there is a very big 'however'...

The one very high value Hubble has likely taken better advantage of gaining funding for the sake of it being individually so high profile.


So... Hubble has certainly been good for science even if technically it might not have been the best technology to use. However, it may well have been politically the only way we could have got the very good results we have.


Why oh why can't science just simply be science?!

Keep searchin',
Martin

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See new freedom: Mageia Linux
Take a look for yourself: Linux Format
The Future is what We all make IT (GPLv3)

Hubble Deep Field images--->Are we alone?
It corresponds to the Chandra Deep Field South, in the constellation of Fornax.
As the speaker says: I feel far from alone.

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