31-July-2006, 03:38 PM
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Vulcan Moderator
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Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Greenbelt, MD
Posts: 24,224
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The servicing missions home page is here:
http://hubble.nasa.gov/missions/intro.php
Quote:
The Hubble Space Telescope Program, resident at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD, continues to work toward a possible Servicing Mission 4 (SM4) in late-2007 or early-2008.
Prior to an HST SM4 being approved by the NASA Administrator, the Shuttle must perform two consecutive successful flights: STS-114, which flew in July of 2005, and STS-121, which was launched July 4, 2006. An engineering risk analysis also must demonstrate a high degree of safety for the Shuttle and its crew in an SM4 flight to Hubble. Because the study will be partially informed by the STS-121 experience, it will not be completed until some period of time after that mission has landed.
Given the possibility that SM4 might occur as soon as 18-24 months from now, preparations for the mission cannot be delayed until after the Shuttle has demonstrated its robustness in the manner just described. Accordingly, and in response to direction from the NASA Administrator, the Hubble Program has for the last year been proceeding with normal planning and preparations for a possible SM4.
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