My understanding about this decision is that it has less to do with the new space exploration initiative, than with concerns about the safety of the Shuttle. The claim is that the Orbiter needs have the capability of docking with the ISS on all missions. Hubble maintenance missions would not allow the Orbiter to dock with the ISS if there was a problem.
With that being said, I consider Hubble to be the best thing that NASA has done in my lifetime. I remember the anticipation surrounding it when it was launched. The dissapointment when it didn't work right and the awe that the first clear pictures to come from it inspired.
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Originally Posted by trebob
I hate to sound unpatriotic, and this is a long shot... but... what about petitioning NASA to scrap the Bush space plan? I think The Bad Astronomer summed it up pretty good on the front page of the site with "Also, with the amount being spent in Iraq, the timing seems odd to announce such an expensive endeavor" and "But going to the Moon will cost many tens or hundreds of billions of dollars. Where will it come from?"
I'm not saying it should be scrapped indefinitely, but long enough to sort out the nations other matters first. There has to be a way to make Bush and NASA see this is a bad idea at a bad time.
Keep the Hubble. The moon and Mars will still be there. We can wait, atleast I know I can.
Anywho, just my 2 cents worth.
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Regardless of what you think about the plan, you have to realize that NASA cannot simply decide not to do what it is told. The President has the authority to charge NASA with a mission and NASA has to figure out how to implement it. The day after the announcement Sean O'Keefe held a NASA wide town-hall meeting to discuss the implications of the new plan. There were a few question along the lines of what happens if NASA decides to go in a different direction and the answer was an emphatic, we are going to carry out our orders.
Of course, that doesn't mean that you do not have options. If you feel strongly about this, by all means contact your Senator and Representative and let them know how you feel. The President proposes the budget, but Congress has to approve it. At the risk of creeping into politics I will add that there is nothing unpatriotic about offering up a disenting opinion-what is unpatriotic is someone suggesting that as a citizen you should not disagree with the current administration (whoever it is)