Hubble Digs Deeply, Toward Big Bang

[BST]

The following is a story about one of the Hubble Telescope's most recent "missions":

http://www.nasa.gov/vision/universe/starsgalaxies/hubble_UDF.html

Not bad for an "old camera near the end of its projected life cycle", huh?

;)

[Rowan]

Thank you! BST, I passionately love this area of science...all my screen savers come from NASA/outer space. I wanted to be an astronaut so badly as a kid!!:D I would have settled for beign a theoretical astrophysicyst but I'm not quite that brainy!!;)

[Darth Marley]

It is not so much that it is near the end of its "life cycle" except in budgetary terms.
Supposedly, the Hubble budget is getting sacked to support the new moon & Mars plans.

[BST]

I know. :(

It's a shame that NASA won't just sell Hubble to another group, instead of letting it rot away and clutter up the galactic junkyard.

[Darth Marley]

It seems that shuttle safety concerns tipped the scales a bit.
I also do not doubt that if Bush loses the upcoming election that the Mars/moon initiative will be tabled. In that case the unmanned advocates will probably become ascendant.

I would favor constructing a booster module to send the Hubble platform into an orbit around the moon. Or maybe just a little further out.

[bsg1fan1975]

Its a shame that this program is going to get deep sixed for the stinking plan that Bush favors. But as for the Big Bang Theory, I don't believe it and never shall.

[Rowan]

Ok I guess this is news to me I hadn't heard they were deep sixing the hubble due to money. I had read that it was reaching the end of it's usefulness/life whatever. That is infuriating if it's in good shape and due to finances they are ditching it, what a shame after all they have gone through to fix it, and everything they have learned through the photographs.:(


I've spent way too much time in the last 8 years with my head in school books! I've lost tuch with the world:/:

[bsg1fan1975]

if they do its a shame i mean look at everything we have discovered since it was made!

[Antelope]

I was very upset when I read that the Hubble Space telescope is going to be allowed to die. The Hubble is probably the best think NASA has going for it other than its planetary probes.

Unfortunately NASA is as much a political and jobs program now a days than it is productive. The entire low Earth orbit shuttle program has done little to advance science for all the money spent. The "International Space Station" another Earth orbit financial boondoggle will be another useless excuse to keep the space program alive while accomplishing nothing. In the words of a Russian cosmonaut after spending a long time on Mir when asked what they do up there, "Survive"(that's about it).

NASA can't even use the leading edge of space science because it is all classified and done by the Air Force.

We need to finance some truly revolutionary space propulsion research and leave the Earth orbit stuff to private business. I hope we aren't letting the Hubble die so that we can plant the flag and pick up a few rocks with technology we already have.

Why are we going to Mars? Because China says it's going to the moon!

[Muffit]

What amazes me, is the incredible variety of color! All my life I have thought the universe is simple black and white. But just lke the gorgeous flora on our planet, the universe is truly an artist's canvas of beauty.

To me, there is no greater substantiation for God than the incredible beauty we see around us. Why do we, as one, each and every one of us see flowers as beautiful, see the Earth from space as gorgeous, when we cannot agree on /anything/ else?

/Why/ should Life be so lovely? Especially when science is so dead and cold.

Random Fate does not an artist make. But Art which is universally appreciated with awe, must come from an emotion-wielding Hand.

How can it be anything else? ;)

Affectionately,
Muffit
:muffit:

[Antelope]

What amazes me, is the incredible variety of color! All my life I have thought the universe is simple black and white. But just lke the gorgeous flora on our planet, the universe is truly an artist's canvas of beauty.

To me, there is no greater substantiation for God than the incredible beauty we see around us. Why do we, as one, each and every one of us see flowers as beautiful, see the Earth from space as gorgeous, when we cannot agree on /anything/ else?

/Why/ should Life be so lovely? Especially when science is so dead and cold.

Random Fate does not an artist make. But Art which is universally appreciated with awe, must come from an emotion-wielding Hand.

How can it be anything else? ;)

Affectionately,
Muffit



As always your words are so beautiful.

To me science is a thing of beauty. The more I know the more I realize just how little I understand. Instead of answering my questions science always leads me to another question. At some point all my science and questions can only lead me to faith. Faith in the beauty of God and the wisdom of his creation.

I understand we are on a blue planet with a strange tectonic history that resulted in a land mass such that bipedal creatures could evolve inteligence and dexterity. I understand this fragile planet is just far enough from its star so water neither boils or stays as perpetual ice. I understand we orbit a black hole in the center of a galaxy from a remote spiral arm. We are far from the center of our galaxy but also far from pulsars and the random death of stellar neutron blast that destroy life in most of the galaxy if it even exist. I know we live on a binary planet system. Whether we need our moon for life as some speculate or simply so we can see in the dark of night or merely so we can observes God's beauty I do not know. I know we orbit a common center of gravity in our local stellar group that seems to imply destruction on a periodic time scale. Without this destruction a furry little creature would not have evolved into previously held niches into the naked ape we are.

This naked ape needed a dextrous paw to swing from trees and later to hunt shellfish at the edge of an immense world wide ocean. In time it evolved intelligence to better find food and avoid predation.

All this was needed so I could sit at work and read the beautiful words of one of those apes that goes by the name of a cuddly furry creature who only lived in my home as a result of the manipulation of radio waves.

Science is a thing of beauty for it tells us what we will never know. Science is the shadow of faith. The Earth is a school, the Lord is the teacher, and muffit one of his poets.
:)


Edit: BST added closing quote tag.

[Muffit]

Thank you so much Antelope! :heart:

Your words too are very evocative and very well done. Life is truly amazing. The more we learn how things work, the more we feel awe.

Thanks for your kind words ;)
Muffit
:muffit:

[Rowan]

well I enjoyed Muffits words...thought there was another essay waiting to be explored there...

Antelope are you planning on joining Muffit and waxing poetical in more essays?;)

I am not even going to bother to try! I would be in over my head, I 'm a much better orator than writter. My hands can't keep up with my thoughts and mouth;)

Muffit I have to agree with you about the colours this is something I can't get over either. We need to see this in our Sci fi programs more too often space is portrayed as black except for the stars. I love to stare at all the pictures as they come up on my desktop and marvel at their beauty, I wish I had that 25 million so that I could go up there and see it for myself. I think any leader of any country who talks of war should be obligated to go up there and see for him/her self just how amazingly beautiful and fragile our little planet is.

[Muffit]

well I enjoyed Muffits words...thought there was another essay waiting to be explored there...

I think any leader of any country who talks of war should be obligated to go up there and see for him/her self just how amazingly beautiful and fragile our little planet is.

Thanks Rowan :)
And I love your idea...
When you think of ALL the worlds in ALL of space and only ours has life that we know of, it just strikes you how precious our little stage appearances are...

:muffit:

[shiningstar]

well I enjoyed Muffits words...thought there was another essay waiting to be explored there...

Antelope are you planning on joining Muffit and waxing poetical in more essays?;)

I am not even going to bother to try! I would be in over my head, I 'm a much better orator than writter. My hands can't keep up with my thoughts and mouth;)

Muffit I have to agree with you about the colours this is something I can't get over either. We need to see this in our Sci fi programs more too often space is portrayed as black except for the stars. I love to stare at all the pictures as they come up on my desktop and marvel at their beauty, I wish I had that 25 million so that I could go up there and see it for myself. I think any leader of any country who talks of war should be obligated to go up there and see for him/her self just how amazingly beautiful and fragile our little planet is.

Now THERE is a fantastic IDEA :D

[Antelope]

Antelope are you planning on joining Muffit and waxing poetical in more essays?;)



For some crazy reason I was inspired to be "Muffitesque" for a moment. I think I was paying homage to the master. Since I am normally not much of a poet I think I will have to wait to the moment I am struck with another "Muffitesque" moment. :D :)

[Muffit]

For some crazy reason I was inspired to be "Muffitesque" for a moment. I think I was paying homage to the master. Since I am normally not much of a poet I think I will have to wait to the moment I am struck with another "Muffitesque" moment. :D :)

:blush: Wow, even a word named after me! You are too kind Antelope... :heart:
:muffit:

[bsg1fan1975]

Muffit you are the "Grand Daggit" of all deep thinkers!

[Muffit]

Thanks Bsg! ;)
:muffit:

[BST]

Hey folks -- all may NOT be lost.

Check the story:

http://abcnews.go.com/wire/SciTech/reuters20040601_516.html


Sorry for just the link, I wasn't sure if the "copyright disclaimer", i.e., No Redistribution, would prevent me from pasting the entire article here.

Oh well, at any rate, this is GREAT NEWS!!

:thumbsup:

[Darth Marley]

Good news, and it should work.

I wouldn't worry about quoting the article, as you could scream "fair use" and this is not a commercial site.
It was Reuters quoted by ABC anyway.

[Rowan]

Oh BST thank you for the good news!! I was really upset to hear about Hubble now I'm all excited again! Here is a bit of info on that Canadian robot Dexter.

http://www.space.gc.ca/asc/eng/csa_sectors/human_pre/iss/mss_spdm.asp

[BST]

Oh BST thank you for the good news!! I was really upset to hear about Hubble now I'm all excited again! Here is a bit of info on that Canadian robot Dexter.

http://www.space.gc.ca/asc/eng/csa_sectors/human_pre/iss/mss_spdm.asp


Rowan,

Thank YOU for the article about Dextre. I was intrigued with the description of the robot arm's sensitivity and the earth-bound example of inserting a video tape into a VCR. That takes a gentle touch -- very impressive for a machine that size!

:thumbsup: :thumbsup:

[BST]

Rowan,

I just noticed -- 4 Base Ships !!

Congratulations!!

[Rowan]

Rowan,

I just noticed -- 4 Base Ships !!

Congratulations!!

Thank you BST, your not too far from you second one! At this rate Thomas is going to have to get creative because I'm averaging a basestar per month! LOL! What can I say I must possess a gift for the gab! oddly enough at home I never talk on the phone and generally live like a hermit, which come to think of it might just explain it after all! LOL!:D ;)


If you had gone to the last person thread then you would have heard me brag about the 4th basestar it's were I always go to celebrate the mile stones! LOL!:D ;)

[cranky1c]

Letting the Hubble die is just plain stupid from a scientific and a PR standpoint. The telescope has allowed us to make better observations than anything groundside and provides all kinds of cool pictures that people can look, making them think good thoughts about NASA. These manned space mission ideas are nice, but with this defict? A more productive way to spend manned mission money is to develop a better manned vehicle. The space shuttle is a marvel of 1970's technology, but has shown tragic limitations - twice. Time to start tweaking scramjects.

[emerita]

Don't know if you guys have seen this or not.... this was taken by the Hubble. Sometimes when I get angry at all of the B******t here on Earth, I'll watch this and I get comfort knowing that there are so many greater things out there......The music is great, so turn up your speakers........


http://wires.news.com.au/special/mm/030811-hubble.htm#00-titlepage2

[shiningstar]

Don't know if you guys have seen this or not.... this was taken by the Hubble. Sometimes when I get angry at all of the B******t here on Earth, I'll watch this and I get comfort knowing that there are so many greater things out there......The music is great, so turn up your speakers........


http://wires.news.com.au/special/mm/030811-hubble.htm#00-titlepage2

I just saw it! I love it!

[emerita]

Gives me chills everytime I watch it. I turn my speakers up loud and let the vibrations go through me.............

[shiningstar]

Gives me chills everytime I watch it. I turn my speakers up loud and let the vibrations go through me.............

me too :D