Just Happened to be in the Neighborhood

Once again the Hubble telescope is in dire straits.  It needs adjusting
and unfortunately they put it out where it costs a cool BILLION dollars
to get anywhere near the thing, to polish the mirror or adjust the antenna
e….

On Monday, NASA is expected to present a budget to Congress that does
not include any money to fix the aging Hubble space telescope. Unless
Congress sets aside $1 billion or more for a robotic mission or commits
to a space-shuttle trip to upgrade the telescope, it could stop sending
its jaw-dropping pictures of the universe as soon as 2007.

Excuse us if this is an idiotic question, but don’t we also have
a multi-billion dollar manned space station up there we are looking
for
excuses to keep supplying. Couldn’t they have planned to put the telescope
SOMEWHERE in the vicinity of the only human outpost anywhere above
the surface of the planet? Something wrong
with the neighborhood?

We are sure the Astro and Cosmo nauts in the station have better things
to do, but one would think they could float over for a look see once
or twice a year, were it nearby.  Enough to kick the tires, and
check the fluids. Or replace a fuse if something blows.  Since we
have to send supplies up to the space station all the time anyway, wouldn’t
it be a less expensive way to get the parts and servicing the telescope
needs up as well?

We are sure there is a logical, scientific explanation having
to do with differences in optimum orbit per ogee and ambient light leak.
It seems like such a simple idea there must be something wrong with it.

from the Boston Globe