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-Last name.
-Diaz.

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-Okay, thank you.
-Go, Don.

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-Good afternoon.

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Welcome to NASA Headquarters

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and today's STS-103
preflight briefings.

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The continuation today,
we will be talking

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about the Hubble payload

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as with our panel
of experts here,

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and we'll lead off
with Dr. Ed Weiler,

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who is
the associate administrator

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for NASA's office
of Space Science,

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followed by Dr. John Campbell,

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who is the program manager
for the Hubble Space Telescope

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at Goddard Space
Flight Center.

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Next to him is Debra Henretty,

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who is an engineer
at the Engineering

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and Navigation
and Guidance Center

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at Goddard Space
Flight Center,

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and rounding out the panel
is Dr. Anne Kinney, the ...

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Pardon me ... the director
for NASA's Origins program

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at NASA Headquarters.

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Ed.

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-Good morning, Don.
Three space shuttle flights

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and the talents
of about 16 astronauts

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and the combined talents
of thousands of engineers

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and scientists have combined
over the past 10 years

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to make HST,
the Hubble Space Telescope,

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the most successful
science mission in history.

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Hubble is the best example
ever of the successful marriage

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of the human space program
and space science.

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Astronauts have deployed,

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repaired and maintained
the Hubble and enabled it

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to peer to the farthest reaches
of the early universe,

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to prove the existence
of supermassive black holes,

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to observe young solar systems
in the process of formation

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and much, much more.

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But perhaps most importantly,

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Hubble has brought science
to the American people

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on a regular basis through
the mass media and the Internet.

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To ensure that this large
taxpayer investment

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continues to pay
excellent science

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dividends well
into the next decade,

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if not the millennium,
NASA will launch a third Hubble

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servicing mission
in a few weeks.

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It will be a mission of both
repair and improvement.

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Astronauts
will install six new gyros

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and perform a brain transplant

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by replacing a 1960s computer
with a 1990s model.

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Hubble will also get new skin
in places, insulation

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and an improved battery
charging system.

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I did a calculation last night,

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and we're well beyond
a billion miles yet,

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but we are still on our original
quart of oil and oil filter,

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so we want to change those,
just kidding,

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but I think about my own car,

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which has over
100,000 miles on it.

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I think the reason I keep it
is I figure

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if Hubble can go a billion,

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maybe my car
can go a few more miles.

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To give you specific details
on this mission,

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I'll turn it over
to Dr. John Campbell,

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who is our program manager at
the Goddard Space Flight Center.

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-Thank you, Ed.
Good morning, everyone.

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This mission, as Ed said,
is to repair and improve Hubble.

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Hubble continues to produce
this spectacular science,

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and our job is to keep Hubble
going by repairing it.

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Our job is also,
whenever possible,

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to produce improvements
that can open up

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new areas
of scientific investigation.

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Now, to give you some context
of servicing mission 3A,

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it is 1/3
of the missions

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with a planned total
five missions for Hubble.

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Hubble was launched in 1990.

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There was a servicing mission
in 1993,

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one in 1997,
the one coming up in December.

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There will be another one
about a year and a half later

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in the summer of 2001
and 2 years after that,

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the last servicing mission
in 2003,

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and then we'll extend
Hubble's life until about 2010,

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and that will be
the end of the mission.

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Now, for this mission, I'm going
to show you a bird's-eye view

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with Hubble
docked to the shuttle.

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The docking device there is
called a flight support system.

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It's a lazy Susan thing
that latches on

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to the aft end of Hubble.

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It allows Hubble to be rotated
and tilted,

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and this allows the astronauts
for easy access

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into any of the compartment bays
that Hubble has to have open.

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The lazy Susan device
also has an umbilical

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so that Hubble can be powered
by the shuttle,

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and you will have seen that

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in front of that flight
support system

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is another carrier,
forward in the bay,

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and it's called ORU carrier,
orbital replacement unit.

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That's just jargon
for black boxes, ORUs,

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and that carrier
has several containers

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that those black boxes
are placed in.

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It gives a soft ride.

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There's foam in some of
those carriers,

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and also it's
thermostatically heated

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so that the boxes coming up
are kept warm

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and kept safe
during the launch process.

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Now, the most important thing
that we're doing on this mission

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is to change the gyros,

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and these gyros
that are in Hubble

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are the most accurate
that have ever been produced,

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and they are required
to get the kind of science

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that we get from Hubble.

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One example is that Hubble
has looked at the same target

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in the sky for up to 10 days,
a very, very long time exposure,

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and without those gyros,

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the stars would just be
fuzzy points of light.

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The gyros are what help to keep
Hubble stable and day after day

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recording points of light
and sharp images of galaxies.

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Now, to give you more
information about those gyros,

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Debbie,
my colleague here,

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will tell you
some more about them.

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-Okay, thank you, John,
as Dr. Campbell stated,

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one of the main focuses
of the servicing mission

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is to replace
the gyros on Hubble.

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The controller uses gyros
for maneuvers

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and high-accuracy pointing.

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This high-accuracy pointing
is necessary for science.

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The controller uses a minimum of
three gyros for this pointing.

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So far, out of the six gyros
on Hubble, we have lost three.

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If we lose another gyro, we will
go into a zero-gyro safe mode.

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While this does not pose
a threat to Hubble itself,

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it does mean loss of science
until the gyros can be replaced.

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I would like to note, however,
that while we are operating off

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only three gyros,
the science program

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is proceeding
perfectly well at this point.

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The next thing I'd like to do

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is take you on a journey
inside of Hubble

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so that you can see
where the gyros are located.

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The gyros are on the back end
of Hubble.

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There are six gyros in three
boxes with two gyros per box,

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and you're going to see
one of those boxes coming up.

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The gyros are
cylindrically shaped,

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and you'll see
a single gyro coming up,

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and the blue
that you're about to see

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is fluid that's inside
of the gyro,

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and now we're going to zoom in
on a flexible wire.

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It's shown broken here
because we believe

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that this is the cause
of the failures in the gyros.

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Now, I have a real gyro here,
and I want to show you.

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You're really not going to be
able to see this,

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but inside of here,
there are those wires.

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They're about the thickness
of a strand of hair,

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and you can't see them,
but they are inside of here.

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After the gyros are assembled,
and the cap is back on,

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this gyro is filled with fluid.

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This fluid has a corrosive
effect on the wire inside

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and can cause it to break.

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The wire is composed of a silver
copper alloy

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that is 85 percent silver.

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The fluid corrodes the copper
and leaves only silver.

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Once the wire is in this state,
it is considered to be brittle,

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and it can break.

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To give you an illustration
of what this means,

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we use a bigger example,
a larger-scale example,

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of a stone wall.

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The silver is like stone,
and the copper is like mortar.

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In a stone wall, if the mortar
is washed away,

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the stone wall may remain
standing, or it may not.

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In a similar fashion, this wire,
once the copper is corroded,

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the wire may break,
or it may not.

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There's a great deal
of uncertainty.

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These wires have lasted
in this state for many years,

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or they have broken,
as seen on Hubble.

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To prevent this from happening,
a new and improved manufacturing

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process has been developed
to try to prevent the fluid

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from interacting with the wire
and corroding the copper.

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This new process has been used
on five of the six gyros

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that are replacement units
for this mission,

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and you may ask why only five
and not all six,

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and the answer is simply
because we ran out of time.

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There was not enough time
to assemble the sixth gyro.

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There will be no gyros replaced
on servicing mission 3B

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unless,
of course, we have failures,

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but then again,
on servicing mission four,

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we will replace all six gyros.

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All six will have the new and
improved manufacturing process.

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They will all be replaced
in an effort

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to ensure that we will
maintain science until 2010.

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Now, I'd like to conclude
by showing you

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footage of the astronauts

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in the clean room at Goddard
handling the gyro boxes.

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There's the three boxes,
and here is an astronaut

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lifting out one of the boxes
out of the Hubble mock-up,

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and he will replace that
with a replacement box.

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That concludes my discussion
on the gyros,

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and now John is going
to continue with the remainder

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of the servicing mission.

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John.
-Thank you, Debbie.

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An improvement that we're doing

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is to replace the old-style
computer with a modern computer.

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This computer is stored
in one of 10 equipment bays

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that circle the spacecraft,
and a graphic coming up now

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is showing how the astronauts
have the door open

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in one of these equipment bays
to install the computer.

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The computer is shown
in the picture there,

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and it's just truly
just a black box.

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The computer is based on a 486
Intel unit,

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and there are three different
separate computers in that box,

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each one independent,

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and at any given time,
we only use one,

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so there are two different
strings,

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then, or two different computers

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00:15:51,934 --> 00:15:56,267
that are redundant in case
we should need them.

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This computer gives us greatly
increased on-orbit capability.

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00:16:01,801 --> 00:16:04,000
During the first
servicing mission,

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we installed what we called
a coprocessor,

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which was Intel 386-based,
and that did some improvement,

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and now,
when we install this computer,

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we will have increased
the central computer memory

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by a factor of 31 times

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and processing power
by 40 times.

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What that does for us
is it allows us a little ...

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It allows us to move
some function in one orbit

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to reduce operating cost
and allow us, as Hubble agents,

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to do operational workarounds
if need be on the computer,

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and maintenance costs
are greatly decreased

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because the computer
is now programmed

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in a modern
programming language,

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which makes it easier to program
and faster to program.

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To be able to keep Hubble
steady along with the gyros

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are fine guidance sensors.

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There are three fine
guidance sensors on board.

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The way we target a star
or a galaxy,

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we place the star or galaxy

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in the aperture of one
of the science instruments,

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but before we do that and when
we do the science planning,

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we have to find two stars
that are nearby that galaxy

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or that star
that we want to look at,

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and those two stars are then

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placed in two different
guidance sensors,

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and the guidance sensors
lock on to those stars

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and then with the gyros
keeping everything stable,

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and we're able to home in
on that target and stay there.

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In servicing mission one,
we removed a fine guidance

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sensor,
replaced it with a spare,

242
00:17:33,000 --> 00:17:36,400
and you saw the picture
of astronauts in servicing ...

243
00:17:36,400 --> 00:17:37,834
Sorry, I said
servicing mission one.

244
00:17:37,834 --> 00:17:42,200
I meant servicing mission two,
and you can see the picture here

245
00:17:42,200 --> 00:17:45,367
with the astronaut handling
the fine guidance sensor.

246
00:17:45,367 --> 00:17:49,734
It's about 5 1/2 feet long,
weighs around 500 pounds,

247
00:17:49,734 --> 00:17:53,133
so we had a spare on the ground,
placed that in Hubble,

248
00:17:53,133 --> 00:17:54,467
and the one
that was brought back

249
00:17:54,467 --> 00:17:56,968
after servicing mission two,
we've refurbished.

250
00:17:56,968 --> 00:18:00,667
We will install that in this
upcoming servicing mission.

251
00:18:00,667 --> 00:18:03,434
The one that we take out
will refurbish

252
00:18:03,434 --> 00:18:06,267
and finally install that
in servicing mission four,

253
00:18:06,267 --> 00:18:08,234
so as we get into
the later years of Hubble,

254
00:18:08,234 --> 00:18:10,300
we'll have three fine
guidance sensors

255
00:18:10,300 --> 00:18:11,567
that have been refurbished,

256
00:18:11,567 --> 00:18:13,934
and they should last
for the life of the mission.

257
00:18:17,968 --> 00:18:21,467
Now, when Hubble collects
science data,

258
00:18:21,467 --> 00:18:26,834
it stores it on board,
next graphic, please,

259
00:18:26,834 --> 00:18:31,300
and eventually transmits
through a radio transmitter

260
00:18:31,300 --> 00:18:34,601
the science data
to a geosynchronous satellite,

261
00:18:34,601 --> 00:18:37,801
one of NASA's tracking data
and relay satellites,

262
00:18:37,801 --> 00:18:41,567
and then the science data
is beamed down to the ground,

263
00:18:41,567 --> 00:18:43,167
ends up at Goddard Space
Flight Center

264
00:18:43,167 --> 00:18:45,634
and then finally up to the Space
Telescope Science Institute

265
00:18:45,634 --> 00:18:49,834
in Baltimore, where
the science data is processed.

266
00:18:49,834 --> 00:18:52,334
One of the two radio
transmitters has failed,

267
00:18:52,334 --> 00:18:54,133
and we plan to replace that.

268
00:18:54,133 --> 00:18:58,834
In the meantime, the one good
radio transmitter is doing

269
00:18:58,834 --> 00:19:00,567
the job perfectly well

270
00:19:00,567 --> 00:19:03,000
in terms of being able
to transmit science data,

271
00:19:03,000 --> 00:19:07,501
and there hasn't been
any impact on the science.

272
00:19:07,501 --> 00:19:10,534
Now, our most important product
is really science data

273
00:19:10,534 --> 00:19:12,767
and science data production,

274
00:19:12,767 --> 00:19:14,367
and since the early years
of Hubble,

275
00:19:14,367 --> 00:19:17,067
we've been steadily
improving Hubble

276
00:19:17,067 --> 00:19:20,067
and gaining more and more
science data to today.

277
00:19:20,067 --> 00:19:22,467
We're actually producing
11 times more than

278
00:19:22,467 --> 00:19:24,434
when we started out.

279
00:19:24,434 --> 00:19:26,300
The science data
has to be staged on board

280
00:19:26,300 --> 00:19:29,467
before it can find
a transmission time

281
00:19:29,467 --> 00:19:33,501
to go down to the ground,
and it is stored on recorders.

282
00:19:33,501 --> 00:19:35,100
When Hubble was first launched,

283
00:19:35,100 --> 00:19:38,367
there were three mechanical tape
recorders on board,

284
00:19:38,367 --> 00:19:40,701
and these mechanical recorders
are much like

285
00:19:40,701 --> 00:19:45,267
the reel-to-reel tape recorders
that some of us still remember,

286
00:19:45,267 --> 00:19:49,234
and they don't store a lot data.

287
00:19:49,234 --> 00:19:50,534
They're unreliable.

288
00:19:50,534 --> 00:19:53,300
You have to rewind them
after you put data on them

289
00:19:53,300 --> 00:19:55,167
before you can dump them,

290
00:19:55,167 --> 00:19:57,968
and they don't do the job
anymore.

291
00:19:57,968 --> 00:19:59,434
In servicing mission two,

292
00:19:59,434 --> 00:20:02,300
we installed a solid-state
recorder

293
00:20:02,300 --> 00:20:04,200
that's just composed
of computer chips,

294
00:20:04,200 --> 00:20:07,501
a factor 10 greater
than storage capacity

295
00:20:07,501 --> 00:20:12,200
of the mechanical recorders,
and that's working very well,

296
00:20:12,200 --> 00:20:15,133
and it's handling the science
data that we're getting down,

297
00:20:15,133 --> 00:20:16,634
and we're putting up its twin

298
00:20:16,634 --> 00:20:19,234
to replace one of the other
two mechanical recorders,

299
00:20:19,234 --> 00:20:22,300
so we have it to help us store
science data

300
00:20:22,300 --> 00:20:23,901
and improve production.

301
00:20:27,601 --> 00:20:29,801
Now,
Hubble is in low earth orbit,

302
00:20:29,801 --> 00:20:32,234
and around every 97 minutes,

303
00:20:32,234 --> 00:20:34,701
it goes through first
a day cycle

304
00:20:34,701 --> 00:20:36,067
and then a night cycle.

305
00:20:36,067 --> 00:20:39,234
During the day,
Hubble is powered by solar cells

306
00:20:39,234 --> 00:20:42,567
that are on solar rays,
and during the night,

307
00:20:42,567 --> 00:20:46,133
Hubble is powered
by six batteries.

308
00:20:46,133 --> 00:20:48,434
Now, these batteries, of course,
have to be recharged,

309
00:20:48,434 --> 00:20:51,334
as they come back out
into the sun,

310
00:20:51,334 --> 00:20:53,767
and the batteries are almost
10 years old now.

311
00:20:53,767 --> 00:20:54,767
They've aged.

312
00:20:54,767 --> 00:20:56,634
They still do the job,

313
00:20:56,634 --> 00:20:58,000
but they've become
more sensitive

314
00:20:58,000 --> 00:21:00,501
to the way they are charged,

315
00:21:00,501 --> 00:21:03,467
and they're susceptible
to overheating,

316
00:21:03,467 --> 00:21:08,934
and what we're planning to do
is put a battery voltage

317
00:21:08,934 --> 00:21:12,701
charging improvement kit
on each of these batteries,

318
00:21:12,701 --> 00:21:13,968
looks like this.

319
00:21:13,968 --> 00:21:15,934
The astronauts will go up,

320
00:21:15,934 --> 00:21:20,033
disconnect the connector
from each of the six batteries

321
00:21:20,033 --> 00:21:21,467
and then put this in line.

322
00:21:21,467 --> 00:21:23,934
There's a wing tab connector.
You can see this.

323
00:21:23,934 --> 00:21:28,400
That is for ease of astronaut
gloves to handle that,

324
00:21:28,400 --> 00:21:30,968
and then in this box
is just simple circuitry

325
00:21:30,968 --> 00:21:35,767
that helps the charging cycle
not be so hard

326
00:21:35,767 --> 00:21:39,734
and keeps the batteries
at a cooler temperature.

327
00:21:45,033 --> 00:21:48,033
As Hubble goes through its day
night cycle,

328
00:21:48,033 --> 00:21:51,200
it, of course,
is full in the sun,

329
00:21:51,200 --> 00:21:54,868
and the skin of Hubble
can reach around 180 degrees

330
00:21:54,868 --> 00:21:56,100
Fahrenheit.

331
00:21:56,100 --> 00:21:58,667
As it goes into night,
that same skin can reach

332
00:21:58,667 --> 00:22:00,734
a temperature of minus
130 degrees

333
00:22:00,734 --> 00:22:04,567
Fahrenheit, an excursion
of almost 300 degrees.

334
00:22:04,567 --> 00:22:08,200
Now, boxes, instruments,
computers, of course, don't work

335
00:22:08,200 --> 00:22:11,400
well when they go through
those kinds of excursions,

336
00:22:11,400 --> 00:22:13,200
and so the thermal skin
that's on

337
00:22:13,200 --> 00:22:16,434
Hubble, composed
of multilayer insulation,

338
00:22:16,434 --> 00:22:19,868
is there to keep the temperature
inside Hubble constant.

339
00:22:19,868 --> 00:22:22,868
In fact, it's kept at nearly
room temperature

340
00:22:22,868 --> 00:22:26,434
with very small excursions,
and once boxes are put in

341
00:22:26,434 --> 00:22:30,601
Hubble, they're in
a very comfortable environment.

342
00:22:30,601 --> 00:22:36,067
Now, over the years that sun
radiation, ultraviolet

343
00:22:36,067 --> 00:22:38,067
and also the local
radiation environment

344
00:22:38,067 --> 00:22:40,334
has degraded the skins.

345
00:22:40,334 --> 00:22:45,334
I heard a question earlier
that said, did we expect this?

346
00:22:45,334 --> 00:22:46,534
And the answer was no,

347
00:22:46,534 --> 00:22:50,767
that Hubble is really leading
the pack here

348
00:22:50,767 --> 00:22:55,434
in terms of spacecraft
that have been in orbit,

349
00:22:55,434 --> 00:22:58,234
and samples have been
brought back

350
00:22:58,234 --> 00:23:01,534
so that we can understand
what's going on.

351
00:23:01,534 --> 00:23:05,968
Outside of the Russian Space
Station, it's really only ...

352
00:23:05,968 --> 00:23:08,000
Hubble is really
the oldest spacecraft

353
00:23:08,000 --> 00:23:10,133
from which we've
brought materials back

354
00:23:10,133 --> 00:23:12,133
and understood what's going on

355
00:23:12,133 --> 00:23:15,701
and what happens over
a long period of time,

356
00:23:15,701 --> 00:23:19,334
so the insulation has cracked
and peeled,

357
00:23:19,334 --> 00:23:24,400
and we're going to install
corrective action on that.

358
00:23:24,400 --> 00:23:27,200
There's two particular things
we're doing.

359
00:23:27,200 --> 00:23:29,767
On the equipment bays,
on the doors,

360
00:23:29,767 --> 00:23:31,234
the insulation has degraded,

361
00:23:31,234 --> 00:23:36,200
and we're placing stainless
steel sheets on those doors,

362
00:23:36,200 --> 00:23:40,000
and now I want to roll
a little animation

363
00:23:40,000 --> 00:23:43,434
that will help you
better understand

364
00:23:43,434 --> 00:23:46,434
what we're doing
with the remainder.

365
00:23:46,434 --> 00:23:50,601
This is a cartoon of a stainless
steel sheet

366
00:23:50,601 --> 00:23:58,501
going on one of the payload
bay doors, equipment bay doors,

367
00:23:58,501 --> 00:24:01,968
and now you see
several rolls of insulation

368
00:24:01,968 --> 00:24:06,367
unrolling to cover the light
shield and the forward shell.

369
00:24:06,367 --> 00:24:09,767
There's four vertical rolls,
three horizontal rolls.

370
00:24:09,767 --> 00:24:14,033
The largest one is 18 feet
long and 5 feet wide.

371
00:24:14,033 --> 00:24:18,234
Now, following immediately
is a little video clip

372
00:24:18,234 --> 00:24:22,200
that shows the astronauts
in street clothes

373
00:24:22,200 --> 00:24:24,601
around a mock-up
at Goddard Space Flight Center

374
00:24:24,601 --> 00:24:27,100
that's a full-size mock-up

375
00:24:27,100 --> 00:24:31,467
where they're training to do
this insulation repair.

376
00:24:31,467 --> 00:24:35,100
There's a roll, and here
is Claude Nicollier

377
00:24:35,100 --> 00:24:38,434
unrolling one of
the horizontal rolls.

378
00:24:38,434 --> 00:24:43,167
Notice the words and lettering
all over that insulation.

379
00:24:43,167 --> 00:24:45,300
Those are installation
instructions,

380
00:24:45,300 --> 00:24:48,634
so that says where things go,
how to align things.

381
00:24:48,634 --> 00:24:50,667
There's arrows all over
the place

382
00:24:50,667 --> 00:24:55,734
to keep those rolls,
wallpaper-like rolls, aligned,

383
00:24:55,734 --> 00:24:59,934
so one of the things that
we kind of get a kick out of

384
00:24:59,934 --> 00:25:03,033
is that a creative engineer
came up with the idea

385
00:25:03,033 --> 00:25:05,567
of how to install
a stainless steel plate.

386
00:25:05,567 --> 00:25:08,567
It turns out that there's four
holes in the corner

387
00:25:08,567 --> 00:25:11,067
of each one of those equipment
bay doors,

388
00:25:11,067 --> 00:25:15,033
which were used to let
the air vent out at launch,

389
00:25:15,033 --> 00:25:18,801
and our engineers came up with
a simple bottle stopper idea

390
00:25:18,801 --> 00:25:22,634
to just plug that
into the hole of the vent door,

391
00:25:22,634 --> 00:25:26,501
and then that holds
the stainless sheet there

392
00:25:26,501 --> 00:25:30,334
on that door,
and then here is a life-size.

393
00:25:30,334 --> 00:25:32,934
You can just see it just clicks
down and locks right on,

394
00:25:32,934 --> 00:25:37,200
so that's kind of neat,
so that completes the story

395
00:25:37,200 --> 00:25:41,868
now of the various things
that we're planning to do.

396
00:25:41,868 --> 00:25:44,501
As I said, we're repairing
some equipment.

397
00:25:44,501 --> 00:25:46,200
We're improving some equipment,

398
00:25:46,200 --> 00:25:48,434
and we hope to continue
to do great science

399
00:25:48,434 --> 00:25:50,167
until the next servicing mission

400
00:25:50,167 --> 00:25:52,167
rolls around another year
and a half,

401
00:25:52,167 --> 00:25:55,467
and now Anne will talk to you
some more about this science.

402
00:25:55,467 --> 00:25:59,100
-Thanks, John, so at this stage,
we're about 10 years

403
00:25:59,100 --> 00:26:01,067
into the life
of Hubble Space Telescope,

404
00:26:01,067 --> 00:26:04,567
and everything that you've heard
about today is to help ensure

405
00:26:04,567 --> 00:26:07,934
that we'll have an additional
10 years to be able to continue

406
00:26:07,934 --> 00:26:11,000
to do these
wonderful science observations.

407
00:26:11,000 --> 00:26:13,300
What I'd like to talk about
today

408
00:26:13,300 --> 00:26:18,067
is my personal list
of observations

409
00:26:18,067 --> 00:26:20,167
where Hubble Space
Telescope observations

410
00:26:20,167 --> 00:26:23,767
have changed the way
that we think about the world,

411
00:26:23,767 --> 00:26:27,601
not just a nice science result
but actually had an effect

412
00:26:27,601 --> 00:26:29,701
on the way
that we think about the world,

413
00:26:29,701 --> 00:26:32,434
and then in the end, I'd like
to show you a new science result

414
00:26:32,434 --> 00:26:34,901
that comes from Jeff Hester,

415
00:26:34,901 --> 00:26:37,367
a really beautiful image
of a nebula,

416
00:26:40,400 --> 00:26:42,133
so number one on my list

417
00:26:42,133 --> 00:26:44,767
would be the comet collision
with Jupiter.

418
00:26:44,767 --> 00:26:48,901
Now, this was an example
where we ...

419
00:26:48,901 --> 00:26:50,901
I didn't actually
want the video yet.

420
00:26:52,968 --> 00:26:56,701
The comet collision is
an example where a comet

421
00:26:56,701 --> 00:26:58,400
is approaching the Earth,

422
00:26:58,400 --> 00:27:03,067
and we see the comet break up,
and we can predict

423
00:27:03,067 --> 00:27:05,467
that it's going to run into
the body of Jupiter,

424
00:27:05,467 --> 00:27:07,634
and then it smacks
into the body of Jupiter,

425
00:27:07,634 --> 00:27:12,267
and we actually see something
that we consider a cosmic event

426
00:27:12,267 --> 00:27:13,767
happening in our lifetimes

427
00:27:13,767 --> 00:27:17,868
and in front of our eyes
with Hubble Space Telescope.

428
00:27:17,868 --> 00:27:20,000
The size of the debris
left afterwards

429
00:27:20,000 --> 00:27:22,868
is
the size of the body of Earth.

430
00:27:22,868 --> 00:27:26,033
The small part of the debris is
the size of the body of Earth,

431
00:27:26,033 --> 00:27:31,033
so that is sort of an object
lesson that is pretty profound.

432
00:27:31,033 --> 00:27:33,534
We live in a universe
where things happen,

433
00:27:33,534 --> 00:27:36,367
and they can actually happen
on a pretty short timescale.

434
00:27:36,367 --> 00:27:40,834
There was about 2 years' notice
with that particular comet,

435
00:27:40,834 --> 00:27:44,067
and that was a spectacular
Hubble Space Telescope result.

436
00:27:44,067 --> 00:27:47,601
Another example, I think,
of the way

437
00:27:47,601 --> 00:27:50,133
Hubble Space Telescope
images have changed the way

438
00:27:50,133 --> 00:27:54,534
we think about things
is with the Supernova 1987A.

439
00:27:54,534 --> 00:27:58,234
Now, this went off, obviously,
in 1987,

440
00:27:58,234 --> 00:28:02,234
and then Hubble
was launched in 1990

441
00:28:02,234 --> 00:28:05,334
and started looking at it
and very quickly observed

442
00:28:05,334 --> 00:28:06,534
something
we'd never seen before:

443
00:28:06,534 --> 00:28:09,567
triple rings illuminated
by this explosion.

444
00:28:09,567 --> 00:28:12,767
Now, this is a massive explosion
that's going off.

445
00:28:12,767 --> 00:28:17,100
In the past, all we've ever been
able to watch is the decay time

446
00:28:17,100 --> 00:28:19,234
as these things
get fainter and fainter,

447
00:28:19,234 --> 00:28:23,934
but now we can actually see
the anatomy of a supernova

448
00:28:23,934 --> 00:28:26,701
explosion,
and what we're waiting for now

449
00:28:26,701 --> 00:28:30,868
is for that really powerful
blast wave

450
00:28:30,868 --> 00:28:34,901
to hit into those rings,
and we will have a blow-by-blow

451
00:28:34,901 --> 00:28:39,868
of how a supernova explosion
proceeds in the universe,

452
00:28:39,868 --> 00:28:43,033
and this is really something
very important to us

453
00:28:43,033 --> 00:28:44,501
because this type of explosion

454
00:28:44,501 --> 00:28:47,868
is what disperses oxygen
in the galaxy,

455
00:28:47,868 --> 00:28:50,934
and I don't think
I have to go into why oxygen

456
00:28:50,934 --> 00:28:53,601
is important to us,
so that's another example

457
00:28:53,601 --> 00:28:55,601
where I think
Hubble Space Telescope images

458
00:28:55,601 --> 00:29:01,033
really impact the way
that we look at the world.

459
00:29:01,033 --> 00:29:03,334
Another one of my
personal favorites

460
00:29:03,334 --> 00:29:07,467
is that Hubble Space Telescope
identified the sources

461
00:29:07,467 --> 00:29:10,434
that host the gamma-ray bursts.

462
00:29:10,434 --> 00:29:13,000
Gamma-ray bursts
have been an enigma

463
00:29:13,000 --> 00:29:15,701
for about 20-odd years,

464
00:29:15,701 --> 00:29:20,601
and astronomers didn't even know
if they were local or cosmic.

465
00:29:20,601 --> 00:29:23,033
They didn't know if they were
within, you know,

466
00:29:23,033 --> 00:29:24,701
multiple light-years

467
00:29:24,701 --> 00:29:26,968
or if they were outside
the galaxy,

468
00:29:26,968 --> 00:29:28,934
and Hubble Space Telescope
identified them

469
00:29:28,934 --> 00:29:32,968
as being hosted
in distant galaxies,

470
00:29:32,968 --> 00:29:36,534
and that was a result
that we'll hear more about

471
00:29:36,534 --> 00:29:38,701
as the years go on
and that I think is going to be

472
00:29:38,701 --> 00:29:43,100
a very, very interesting story
to follow.

473
00:29:43,100 --> 00:29:47,033
Another of my personal favorites
is that Hubble Space Telescope

474
00:29:47,033 --> 00:29:52,400
provided definitive proof
for black holes in galaxies,

475
00:29:52,400 --> 00:29:55,200
and not only in quasars
and active galaxies,

476
00:29:55,200 --> 00:29:59,767
but also in normal galaxies
and even small galaxies.

477
00:29:59,767 --> 00:30:04,033
In fact, Hubble discovered
so many black holes

478
00:30:04,033 --> 00:30:08,167
that Art Buchwald had a column
one day where he listed articles

479
00:30:08,167 --> 00:30:10,834
that he never wanted to read
in the newspaper again,

480
00:30:10,834 --> 00:30:12,667
and one of them
was "Hubble Space Telescope

481
00:30:12,667 --> 00:30:16,234
discovers another black hole,"

482
00:30:16,234 --> 00:30:21,167
but that has really affected
our vision of galaxies

483
00:30:21,167 --> 00:30:24,033
that it appears
that most galaxies

484
00:30:24,033 --> 00:30:28,868
are actually the hosts of black
holes in their very center,

485
00:30:28,868 --> 00:30:33,000
and then finally,
I think probably the topic

486
00:30:33,000 --> 00:30:34,634
that you'd have to say
Hubble Space Telescope

487
00:30:34,634 --> 00:30:38,567
has had the most impact on
is galaxy formation

488
00:30:38,567 --> 00:30:41,501
and a view
of the very deep universe,

489
00:30:41,501 --> 00:30:43,734
and this, of course,
was a spearheaded

490
00:30:43,734 --> 00:30:45,601
by the Hubble Deep Field,

491
00:30:45,601 --> 00:30:50,167
which was Bob Williams'
discretionary proposal

492
00:30:50,167 --> 00:30:52,067
that was really
quite unprecedented

493
00:30:52,067 --> 00:30:53,200
in the world of astronomy.

494
00:30:53,200 --> 00:30:56,400
Ten days were spent
observing this field

495
00:30:56,400 --> 00:31:00,234
with the help of a team
of astronomers working on it.

496
00:31:00,234 --> 00:31:02,000
The data was reduced
as quickly as possible.

497
00:31:02,000 --> 00:31:07,167
It was released, I think,
within a month to the world,

498
00:31:07,167 --> 00:31:09,033
and it's probably
the single field

499
00:31:09,033 --> 00:31:12,534
that has had the most
scientific results on one field,

500
00:31:12,534 --> 00:31:14,801
and it's impacted
everything about the way

501
00:31:14,801 --> 00:31:18,834
we think about galaxy formation,
and it actually also changed

502
00:31:18,834 --> 00:31:21,234
some of the sociology
of astronomy

503
00:31:21,234 --> 00:31:26,400
because people started
exchanging results on the Web,

504
00:31:26,400 --> 00:31:31,667
and it really fomented
a lot of activity

505
00:31:31,667 --> 00:31:33,033
in that field that's been ...

506
00:31:33,033 --> 00:31:34,868
that really has paid off
beautifully.

507
00:31:34,868 --> 00:31:39,701
And now if you could roll
the film of the greatest hits.

508
00:31:39,701 --> 00:31:41,067
Here you see Jupiter,

509
00:31:41,067 --> 00:31:44,434
and the smallest central debris
is the size of the Earth.

510
00:31:44,434 --> 00:31:48,100
This is the Orion Nebula,
host to formation of stars.

511
00:31:48,100 --> 00:31:51,434
This is a globular cluster,
planetary nebula,

512
00:31:51,434 --> 00:31:52,968
end of a star's life.

513
00:31:52,968 --> 00:31:58,434
This is one of those beautiful
galaxies, M87 active galaxy,

514
00:31:58,434 --> 00:32:02,033
and proof for a black hole,
a velocity dispersion.

515
00:32:02,033 --> 00:32:04,534
Here is a colliding galaxy,
Sen-A,

516
00:32:04,534 --> 00:32:06,868
and finally from
the Hubble Deep Field,

517
00:32:06,868 --> 00:32:09,334
just a snippet
from the Hubble Deep Field.

518
00:32:09,334 --> 00:32:11,634
So of course if we were to show
you all the greatest hits,

519
00:32:11,634 --> 00:32:15,367
you'd have to sit here
for another hour or so.

520
00:32:15,367 --> 00:32:17,200
But now let me show you
a new result

521
00:32:17,200 --> 00:32:19,200
that comes from Jeff Hester,

522
00:32:19,200 --> 00:32:21,667
and let me just talk about it
a little bit first.

523
00:32:21,667 --> 00:32:24,434
This is a nebula that,
let's see, we've been discussing

524
00:32:24,434 --> 00:32:28,200
all morning how to pronounce it:
Trifid, the Trifid Nebula.

525
00:32:28,200 --> 00:32:29,634
Let's try that?

526
00:32:29,634 --> 00:32:35,734
The Trifid Nebula, okay, so this
is a region of star formation

527
00:32:35,734 --> 00:32:39,701
that you could call it
a birthing region for stars.

528
00:32:39,701 --> 00:32:44,534
Stars really tend to like to be
born together in gaseous clouds,

529
00:32:44,534 --> 00:32:46,200
but then what happens

530
00:32:46,200 --> 00:32:50,133
is that the most
massive stars form first,

531
00:32:50,133 --> 00:32:54,767
and they turn on, and they're
powerful, bright stars,

532
00:32:54,767 --> 00:32:58,100
and they start to blast holes
out of the nebula,

533
00:32:58,100 --> 00:33:01,634
and when we show the video,
you'll see what I mean by that.

534
00:33:01,634 --> 00:33:03,434
There's actually bright paths

535
00:33:03,434 --> 00:33:06,033
where the thing has started
to blast out,

536
00:33:06,033 --> 00:33:08,701
and this is another area
where I think Hubble has really

537
00:33:08,701 --> 00:33:13,601
had a nice impact on the way
we think about star formation

538
00:33:13,601 --> 00:33:17,067
because what happens is
that the massive stars

539
00:33:17,067 --> 00:33:22,667
start to impact the way
the less massive stars form,

540
00:33:22,667 --> 00:33:24,901
in that they blast away
at the nebula,

541
00:33:24,901 --> 00:33:27,534
and I think the way
Jeff Hester put it was

542
00:33:27,534 --> 00:33:30,734
that it's like a blowtorch
on a block of ice

543
00:33:30,734 --> 00:33:32,734
when that hot star turns on.

544
00:33:32,734 --> 00:33:34,634
So let's take a look
at that video.

545
00:33:34,634 --> 00:33:36,467
This starts with
a ground-based image

546
00:33:36,467 --> 00:33:40,934
from the 1.5-meter at Palomar,
and here you see a nebula.

547
00:33:40,934 --> 00:33:43,167
You see those spots
that have been blown out.

548
00:33:43,167 --> 00:33:47,033
We zoom in on the area
of observation,

549
00:33:47,033 --> 00:33:49,167
and you can see
that bright red shows

550
00:33:49,167 --> 00:33:51,267
you the direction
of the brightest stars

551
00:33:51,267 --> 00:33:55,067
is about 8 light-years
from the really bright star,

552
00:33:55,067 --> 00:33:58,734
and here you can see
several different features,

553
00:33:58,734 --> 00:34:05,234
a kind of a spiral jet
from a very young star

554
00:34:05,234 --> 00:34:09,434
and then a pillar where
the light has been blasted away

555
00:34:09,434 --> 00:34:11,868
by the central star.

556
00:34:11,868 --> 00:34:14,734
So this is just an example
of very recent,

557
00:34:14,734 --> 00:34:18,234
very excellent science going on
with Hubble Space Telescope.

558
00:34:18,234 --> 00:34:23,300
And we all very much look
forward to be telling you about,

559
00:34:23,300 --> 00:34:26,334
you know, 10 more years
of great science

560
00:34:26,334 --> 00:34:29,234
from Hubble Space Telescope.

561
00:34:29,234 --> 00:34:31,067
Don?
-Thank you, Anne and panelists.

562
00:34:31,067 --> 00:34:33,067
Okay, we'll start
taking questions

563
00:34:33,067 --> 00:34:34,534
from reporters
here at headquarters,

564
00:34:34,534 --> 00:34:37,701
then go to Johnson Space Center
and Kennedy Space Center.

565
00:34:37,701 --> 00:34:39,434
Please wait for the mic
and give us your name

566
00:34:39,434 --> 00:34:40,901
and affiliation, Paul.

567
00:34:40,901 --> 00:34:43,334
-Yeah, Paul Hoversten,
USA Today.

568
00:34:43,334 --> 00:34:45,467
A couple questions: For Debra,

569
00:34:45,467 --> 00:34:48,200
what's the fluid
in the gyros, please?

570
00:34:48,200 --> 00:34:55,267
-The fluid
is bromotrifluoroethylene, BTFE.

571
00:34:55,267 --> 00:34:56,634
-You'll get the...

572
00:34:56,634 --> 00:34:58,200
-Okay.
All right.

573
00:34:58,200 --> 00:35:01,734
Okay, thank you,
and for Dr. Campbell,

574
00:35:01,734 --> 00:35:07,701
if the original computers
are like the Intel 486,

575
00:35:07,701 --> 00:35:09,267
would you say
what you're putting in

576
00:35:09,267 --> 00:35:11,267
is sort of like a Pentium III?

577
00:35:11,267 --> 00:35:14,334
Can you think of an analogy
we can use for that?

578
00:35:14,334 --> 00:35:18,934
-Well, it's like between
a factor of 30 and 40 times.

579
00:35:18,934 --> 00:35:20,734
I guess that's probably right.

580
00:35:20,734 --> 00:35:23,434
I would have guessed the Pentium
was a factor of 10

581
00:35:23,434 --> 00:35:27,601
maybe than a 46,
but something like that, yeah.

582
00:35:27,601 --> 00:35:32,133
-Okay, and finally for Ed,
can you talk a little bit about

583
00:35:32,133 --> 00:35:35,701
how critical this mission
is to the science of Hubble

584
00:35:35,701 --> 00:35:39,200
and whether or not
you're hearing from astronomers

585
00:35:39,200 --> 00:35:41,767
all around the world
and they're very expectant,

586
00:35:41,767 --> 00:35:44,934
and, I mean, can you just sort
of elaborate on the importance

587
00:35:44,934 --> 00:35:51,167
of a successful mission
here to the telescope?

588
00:35:51,167 --> 00:35:52,367
-Well, as you know, Paul,
you know,

589
00:35:52,367 --> 00:35:54,801
Hubble was designed
with servicing in mind.

590
00:35:54,801 --> 00:35:57,467
I mean, it was not designed
to last 15 or 20 years

591
00:35:57,467 --> 00:36:01,367
without any astronaut servicing,
so parts are failing.

592
00:36:01,367 --> 00:36:04,067
We've lost a, you know, wideband
transmitter without a ...

593
00:36:04,067 --> 00:36:05,868
You know, we have ...
Of course, we anticipated

594
00:36:05,868 --> 00:36:07,267
losing one
at some point in time,

595
00:36:07,267 --> 00:36:10,434
so we had two of them,
and we're using the backup now.

596
00:36:10,434 --> 00:36:12,067
Slightly important because
without a transmitter,

597
00:36:12,067 --> 00:36:13,601
you have no data.

598
00:36:13,601 --> 00:36:15,467
This mission is really
to protect ...

599
00:36:15,467 --> 00:36:17,267
We're really not making
any scientific

600
00:36:17,267 --> 00:36:18,868
improvements in this mission.

601
00:36:18,868 --> 00:36:20,801
That's going to be the one
in about a year and a half

602
00:36:20,801 --> 00:36:22,167
when we put on
an advanced camera,

603
00:36:22,167 --> 00:36:26,400
when we hopefully revive
the NICMOS, etc.

604
00:36:26,400 --> 00:36:28,868
This mission is really
to protect the science,

605
00:36:28,868 --> 00:36:30,367
to protect that investment.

606
00:36:30,367 --> 00:36:33,000
You know, we have a large amount
of money invested in this.

607
00:36:33,000 --> 00:36:35,434
We've gotten very used
to our nice big fat checks

608
00:36:35,434 --> 00:36:38,467
every month
from our mutual funds, etc.,

609
00:36:38,467 --> 00:36:42,968
and the sciences
are those dividend checks.

610
00:36:42,968 --> 00:36:45,234
We're down to three gyros,
but we're lucky.

611
00:36:45,234 --> 00:36:46,934
Back in February,
if you asked me

612
00:36:46,934 --> 00:36:49,567
if we could have
made it to December,

613
00:36:49,567 --> 00:36:52,200
I would have probably
not taken that bet.

614
00:36:52,200 --> 00:36:55,067
I would have probably bet that
we'd have had a gyro failure,

615
00:36:55,067 --> 00:36:56,634
and if we had
one more gyro failure

616
00:36:56,634 --> 00:36:58,000
between February and now,

617
00:36:58,000 --> 00:36:59,934
we would have lost
all science on Hubble

618
00:36:59,934 --> 00:37:02,934
until we went up there
with a shuttle to fix it.

619
00:37:02,934 --> 00:37:05,133
So we've been kind of lucky
for a change on Hubble.

620
00:37:05,133 --> 00:37:08,801
It's kind of a nice
experience for a change.

621
00:37:08,801 --> 00:37:11,100
How long that luck would last
is anybody's guess.

622
00:37:11,100 --> 00:37:14,234
I mean, the remaining
three gyros could go 5 years.

623
00:37:14,234 --> 00:37:16,968
They could go 10 years,
or they could fail tomorrow.

624
00:37:16,968 --> 00:37:18,367
One could fail tomorrow.

625
00:37:18,367 --> 00:37:20,667
I think IUE, the International
Ultraviolet Explorer

626
00:37:20,667 --> 00:37:21,701
went 18 years.

627
00:37:21,701 --> 00:37:23,767
One of the gyros
lasted 18 years.

628
00:37:23,767 --> 00:37:25,934
-Two of them.
-Two of them.

629
00:37:25,934 --> 00:37:27,267
We won't speak to the other two.

630
00:37:27,267 --> 00:37:29,267
That's failed.

631
00:37:29,267 --> 00:37:31,901
So it's ...
The analogy is very good.

632
00:37:31,901 --> 00:37:33,467
You know, you've got that
brick and mortar wall.

633
00:37:33,467 --> 00:37:35,667
When the mortar starts
peeling away,

634
00:37:35,667 --> 00:37:37,434
that wall could fall
right on top of you,

635
00:37:37,434 --> 00:37:43,100
or it could last like, you know,
the ones in Stonehenge had last.

636
00:37:43,100 --> 00:37:47,133
So this is making sure
we keep the dividends flowing.

637
00:37:47,133 --> 00:37:50,033
That's really the way
to describe this mission.

638
00:37:50,033 --> 00:37:52,534
As I said, we spent billions
on this program,

639
00:37:52,534 --> 00:37:56,434
and this mission will continue
the dividends,

640
00:37:56,434 --> 00:37:58,234
scientific dividends flowing.

641
00:37:58,234 --> 00:38:00,300
So the gyros are the most
critical element.

642
00:38:00,300 --> 00:38:02,033
The batteries are becoming
a worry.

643
00:38:02,033 --> 00:38:04,400
They're not really a major
concern, but they're a worry,

644
00:38:04,400 --> 00:38:07,601
so we're going to take care
of that heating problem also.

645
00:38:07,601 --> 00:38:09,567
And the insulation again
is a long-term thing.

646
00:38:09,567 --> 00:38:10,767
You know, is it going to cause
the mission

647
00:38:10,767 --> 00:38:12,367
to fail tomorrow
or the day after?

648
00:38:12,367 --> 00:38:14,634
Of course not, but by taking
care of it now,

649
00:38:14,634 --> 00:38:16,234
hopefully we won't have to worry
about it again

650
00:38:16,234 --> 00:38:18,200
for a long time to come.

651
00:38:18,200 --> 00:38:19,801
So we're doing
some short-term ...

652
00:38:19,801 --> 00:38:21,267
I want to go ...

653
00:38:21,267 --> 00:38:22,934
This is not a routine
servicing mission.

654
00:38:22,934 --> 00:38:24,334
It's not an emergency mission.

655
00:38:24,334 --> 00:38:27,300
It's somewhere in between,
so we're taking care

656
00:38:27,300 --> 00:38:28,634
of some long-term concerns,

657
00:38:28,634 --> 00:38:30,868
taking care of some
short-term concerns,

658
00:38:30,868 --> 00:38:33,267
and we're really leaving
the upgrading of science

659
00:38:33,267 --> 00:38:36,000
to the mission
in about 18 months.

660
00:38:36,000 --> 00:38:37,100
-Okay.

661
00:38:37,100 --> 00:38:37,968
We've got a question
in the back,

662
00:38:37,968 --> 00:38:40,200
and then Kathy Sawyer in front.

663
00:38:40,200 --> 00:38:44,667
State your name and affiliation.

664
00:38:44,667 --> 00:38:47,601
-The gyros used in aviation
don't have any fluid in it,

665
00:38:47,601 --> 00:38:53,067
so can you explain why
you need fluid in those gyros?

666
00:38:53,067 --> 00:38:54,901
And second question is,
what's going to happen

667
00:38:54,901 --> 00:38:59,901
after 2010 to Hubble Telescope?

668
00:38:59,901 --> 00:39:02,267
-Take it first.
-Okay, the gyros

669
00:39:02,267 --> 00:39:06,067
have fluid in them
because they're floating gyros.

670
00:39:06,067 --> 00:39:12,701
The fluid is necessary
as a part of the ...

671
00:39:12,701 --> 00:39:17,667
for the mechanism
inside to rotate.

672
00:39:17,667 --> 00:39:25,634
It's ... I don't think I could
make it too simple.

673
00:39:25,634 --> 00:39:30,467
It would be pretty technical,
but very simply just to say

674
00:39:30,467 --> 00:39:35,901
that the fluid is necessary
for the mechanism of the gyro

675
00:39:35,901 --> 00:39:40,067
spinning for that to work.

676
00:39:42,934 --> 00:39:47,133
-On the "What do we do
with Hubble after 20 years?"

677
00:39:47,133 --> 00:39:48,467
there are two options.

678
00:39:48,467 --> 00:39:50,200
One we're really not
too seriously considering.

679
00:39:50,200 --> 00:39:53,501
One option would be to somehow
attach a rocket to it

680
00:39:53,501 --> 00:39:55,601
and then blast it up
to a very high orbit

681
00:39:55,601 --> 00:39:58,467
so that it would be safe
for eons.

682
00:39:58,467 --> 00:40:00,033
I don't think we've really
figured

683
00:40:00,033 --> 00:40:02,367
out an easy way to do that.

684
00:40:02,367 --> 00:40:04,934
The most likely option
that in 2010,

685
00:40:04,934 --> 00:40:08,601
which corresponds to the next
maximum of the solar cycle,

686
00:40:08,601 --> 00:40:09,968
at maximum of the solar cycle,

687
00:40:09,968 --> 00:40:11,934
the atmosphere of the Earth
spreads out,

688
00:40:11,934 --> 00:40:14,200
expands, will slow down Hubble,

689
00:40:14,200 --> 00:40:16,234
and without
any shuttle interaction,

690
00:40:16,234 --> 00:40:18,033
the Hubble would
wind up coming down,

691
00:40:18,033 --> 00:40:20,701
and that might not be
a good day for where it lands.

692
00:40:20,701 --> 00:40:23,968
So we intend to ...
Right now the current plan

693
00:40:23,968 --> 00:40:26,667
would be to bring it
back to Earth in 2010.

694
00:40:26,667 --> 00:40:28,434
We haven't made arrangements
with anybody,

695
00:40:28,434 --> 00:40:31,067
but I'm sure the Smithsonian
would be interested

696
00:40:31,067 --> 00:40:34,300
in an exhibit
that would stand 40 feet tall

697
00:40:34,300 --> 00:40:38,467
and may make a very interesting
exhibit for kids to see.

698
00:40:41,033 --> 00:40:42,234
Kathy?

699
00:40:42,234 --> 00:40:43,868
-Kathy Sawyer,
The Washington Post,

700
00:40:43,868 --> 00:40:46,434
for Dr. Weiler.

701
00:40:46,434 --> 00:40:50,601
You've had some slip
in the schedule of this mission,

702
00:40:50,601 --> 00:40:53,767
and I was wondering,
have any science missions

703
00:40:53,767 --> 00:40:58,334
that were time-critical been
unsettled or ruined or delayed?

704
00:40:58,334 --> 00:41:02,934
Has there been much
scheduling problem

705
00:41:02,934 --> 00:41:07,767
with any of the users
of this telescope?

706
00:41:07,767 --> 00:41:11,467
-Specific to Hubble or other
space science missions, Kathy?

707
00:41:11,467 --> 00:41:13,801
-Well, I had in mind specific
to Hubble,

708
00:41:13,801 --> 00:41:16,968
people who had scheduled
observations for the time

709
00:41:16,968 --> 00:41:20,601
during which the mission was
supposed to occur in October,

710
00:41:20,601 --> 00:41:24,501
and then during the time when it
is now occurring in December.

711
00:41:24,501 --> 00:41:25,734
Both of those ...
-I got you.

712
00:41:25,734 --> 00:41:27,734
-... time periods
might have been a bit unsettled

713
00:41:27,734 --> 00:41:30,434
by the changes
and uncertainties.

714
00:41:30,434 --> 00:41:32,634
-Well, it goes both ways.

715
00:41:32,634 --> 00:41:34,367
Those scientists who were
anticipated

716
00:41:34,367 --> 00:41:36,834
not getting their observations
done back in October

717
00:41:36,834 --> 00:41:38,300
when we were supposed
to fly have now

718
00:41:38,300 --> 00:41:40,667
gotten their observations,
so they're the winners.

719
00:41:40,667 --> 00:41:42,534
The ones that had planned to get
their observations

720
00:41:42,534 --> 00:41:44,868
in early December
are the losers.

721
00:41:44,868 --> 00:41:46,100
To the best of my knowledge,

722
00:41:46,100 --> 00:41:48,734
and somebody from the institute
could correct me,

723
00:41:48,734 --> 00:41:52,067
I'm not aware of any
time-critical observations

724
00:41:52,067 --> 00:41:53,200
that will be lost.

725
00:41:53,200 --> 00:41:54,567
The way we work with Hubble
is that

726
00:41:54,567 --> 00:41:59,000
if you lose your observation,
it will be rescheduled.

727
00:41:59,000 --> 00:42:01,467
That's not to say there aren't
time-critical observations,

728
00:42:01,467 --> 00:42:02,968
but again,
to the best of my knowledge,

729
00:42:02,968 --> 00:42:04,234
no comets are hitting Jupiter

730
00:42:04,234 --> 00:42:07,801
this walk and no supernovae
have just gone off.

731
00:42:07,801 --> 00:42:10,667
So the answer is probably no,

732
00:42:10,667 --> 00:42:13,567
no critical things
are really lost by this.

733
00:42:13,567 --> 00:42:16,167
I mean, and we're not losing
any science in essence

734
00:42:16,167 --> 00:42:19,868
because instead of taking off
a week or two back in October

735
00:42:19,868 --> 00:42:22,601
for the servicing mission,
we'll be doing that December,

736
00:42:22,601 --> 00:42:26,801
so that time was
"already lost" anyway.

737
00:42:26,801 --> 00:42:28,968
-Earl Lane with Newsday.

738
00:42:28,968 --> 00:42:33,834
Just to clarify Paul's question
on the computer,

739
00:42:33,834 --> 00:42:36,567
it is a 486 that's being put in
as a replacement,

740
00:42:36,567 --> 00:42:39,334
right, not a Pentium,
and I guess the question is,

741
00:42:39,334 --> 00:42:43,167
why wouldn't you go
for a Pentium class?

742
00:42:43,167 --> 00:42:44,167
-All right.

743
00:42:44,167 --> 00:42:48,934
The new computer
is Intel 486-based,

744
00:42:48,934 --> 00:42:51,901
and the main reason
why it isn't Pentium

745
00:42:51,901 --> 00:42:56,000
is that a computer
for a space application

746
00:42:56,000 --> 00:42:58,100
takes on the order of 4 years

747
00:42:58,100 --> 00:43:00,534
to develop
from start to scratch,

748
00:43:00,534 --> 00:43:03,634
and for us, there's two
major reasons why that's true.

749
00:43:03,634 --> 00:43:09,000
One is that the design
has to fit in the Hubble.

750
00:43:09,000 --> 00:43:10,434
There can be no mistake.

751
00:43:10,434 --> 00:43:14,033
When that computer is plugged
into Hubble, it has to work,

752
00:43:14,033 --> 00:43:15,734
and it has to communicate
with the rest

753
00:43:15,734 --> 00:43:17,467
of Hubble's data system.

754
00:43:17,467 --> 00:43:19,067
And so this isn't
a plug-and-play thing

755
00:43:19,067 --> 00:43:22,601
where you can just plug
in a printer

756
00:43:22,601 --> 00:43:24,067
like
we're used to on the ground,

757
00:43:24,067 --> 00:43:25,267
so that takes a long time.

758
00:43:25,267 --> 00:43:28,934
We do model ...
We do first models

759
00:43:28,934 --> 00:43:32,200
and make sure that works,
and then test that,

760
00:43:32,200 --> 00:43:34,601
and then eventually
build flight units.

761
00:43:34,601 --> 00:43:37,100
The other thing that's different
from us on the ground

762
00:43:37,100 --> 00:43:39,634
is that their radiation
environment

763
00:43:39,634 --> 00:43:43,400
is a lot more
severe up in space.

764
00:43:43,400 --> 00:43:46,501
An example is that some
commercial laptops

765
00:43:46,501 --> 00:43:50,334
are frequently brought up
into the ...

766
00:43:50,334 --> 00:43:52,868
on the shuttle flights
by the astronauts,

767
00:43:52,868 --> 00:43:57,067
and those laptops
come to a halt once or twice,

768
00:43:57,067 --> 00:44:01,467
sometimes three times a day
because of radiation hits,

769
00:44:01,467 --> 00:44:04,033
and that's unacceptable, too.

770
00:44:04,033 --> 00:44:07,300
The computer has to operate day
in, day out,

771
00:44:07,300 --> 00:44:12,601
so we had to select
the processing unit

772
00:44:12,601 --> 00:44:16,400
to be sure that
it withstood the radiation.

773
00:44:16,400 --> 00:44:20,400
We have memories in there
that are not commercial memories

774
00:44:20,400 --> 00:44:23,767
like on your standard computer
but are radiation-hardened.

775
00:44:23,767 --> 00:44:26,701
And then finally, we actually
tested this computer,

776
00:44:26,701 --> 00:44:28,534
the one that
we planned to install.

777
00:44:28,534 --> 00:44:32,434
We tested it last fall
a year ago

778
00:44:32,434 --> 00:44:34,601
on the flight
that John Glenn flew on.

779
00:44:34,601 --> 00:44:36,434
We took it up into space.

780
00:44:36,434 --> 00:44:38,767
We ran it for 7 days.

781
00:44:38,767 --> 00:44:40,033
That's really not a life test,

782
00:44:40,033 --> 00:44:41,934
but that was kind of
a dummy check

783
00:44:41,934 --> 00:44:46,801
to make sure that we hadn't
overlooked anything.

784
00:44:46,801 --> 00:44:49,367
So it takes 4 years to develop,

785
00:44:49,367 --> 00:44:52,400
and Pentium really wasn't
in the cards.

786
00:44:52,400 --> 00:44:55,534
-Well, let me add two
short things to that.

787
00:44:55,534 --> 00:44:57,868
In fact, we are working
with the Pentium people,

788
00:44:57,868 --> 00:45:01,033
and JPL is involved to ...

789
00:45:01,033 --> 00:45:02,901
We're currently working
to get the Pentium

790
00:45:02,901 --> 00:45:05,133
up to space
qualification standards,

791
00:45:05,133 --> 00:45:07,200
hopefully in less than 4 years,

792
00:45:07,200 --> 00:45:08,667
but that's in progress
because you have ...

793
00:45:08,667 --> 00:45:11,300
As John pointed out, you have to
start early to radiation-harden

794
00:45:11,300 --> 00:45:16,100
these things and design them
for space radiation environment.

795
00:45:16,100 --> 00:45:19,801
Not to downplay the 486, I mean,
remember what it's replacing.

796
00:45:19,801 --> 00:45:23,133
It's replacing what we call
a DF-224.

797
00:45:23,133 --> 00:45:26,033
That was NASA's and
the military's standard computer

798
00:45:26,033 --> 00:45:28,067
back in the '60s.

799
00:45:28,067 --> 00:45:30,601
It's not quite like
going from a, you know,

800
00:45:30,601 --> 00:45:33,567
a slide rule to a McIntosh
or whatever, IBM.

801
00:45:33,567 --> 00:45:37,434
It's close.
-All right.

802
00:45:37,434 --> 00:45:40,467
We'll go to the Johnson
Space Center for questions now.

803
00:45:40,467 --> 00:45:42,234
Go ahead, please.

804
00:45:42,234 --> 00:45:45,100
-This is Marcia Dunn of
the Associated Press for Ed.

805
00:45:45,100 --> 00:45:48,801
What's the latest cost attached
to this mission,

806
00:45:48,801 --> 00:45:51,100
both Hubble program costs
and shuttle costs?

807
00:45:51,100 --> 00:45:54,534
-Oh, I'm sorry.
I missed the question.

808
00:45:54,534 --> 00:45:55,601
-What are the costs
for the mission,

809
00:45:55,601 --> 00:45:58,834
the Hubble and he shuttle costs?

810
00:45:58,834 --> 00:46:01,567
-The Hubble-related cost
is $26 million,

811
00:46:01,567 --> 00:46:03,767
roughly $26 million,

812
00:46:03,767 --> 00:46:05,868
and the cost for
the extra shuttle mission

813
00:46:05,868 --> 00:46:10,968
is about $110 million
for a total of about 136.

814
00:46:10,968 --> 00:46:13,100
-Yes, and I was wondering,

815
00:46:13,100 --> 00:46:16,501
when did the radio transmitter
fail and why,

816
00:46:16,501 --> 00:46:18,467
and could you give
a little status report

817
00:46:18,467 --> 00:46:22,267
of the three remaining
functional gyros?

818
00:46:22,267 --> 00:46:28,267
I know there was some quirks in
one of them about a month ago.

819
00:46:28,267 --> 00:46:31,133
-I can't remember exactly
when the transmitter failed.

820
00:46:31,133 --> 00:46:34,300
I believe it's been
almost 2 years now.

821
00:46:34,300 --> 00:46:36,501
We don't know why it failed.

822
00:46:36,501 --> 00:46:38,601
We did a lot
of telemetry analysis.

823
00:46:38,601 --> 00:46:41,400
We think one of the power
transmitters,

824
00:46:41,400 --> 00:46:46,801
power transistors on the power
side of that transmitter failed.

825
00:46:46,801 --> 00:46:49,267
The telemetry seemed
to indicate that.

826
00:46:49,267 --> 00:46:51,100
We won't know until we bring it
back to the ground

827
00:46:51,100 --> 00:46:54,133
and take it apart.

828
00:46:54,133 --> 00:46:57,868
The three gyros
are doing their job.

829
00:46:57,868 --> 00:47:01,133
They're working.

830
00:47:01,133 --> 00:47:02,601
We're doing all the kinds
of science

831
00:47:02,601 --> 00:47:04,334
that we've always been able
to do with the gyros,

832
00:47:04,334 --> 00:47:08,267
so they are healthy.

833
00:47:08,267 --> 00:47:10,334
-Todd Halvorson of space.com.

834
00:47:10,334 --> 00:47:16,801
On the radio transmitter,
have you guys done any studies

835
00:47:16,801 --> 00:47:21,167
on the meantime between failures
or have any predictions on

836
00:47:21,167 --> 00:47:24,000
when the one unit
that you do have good up

837
00:47:24,000 --> 00:47:27,968
there might go bad on you?

838
00:47:27,968 --> 00:47:30,300
-Well, we're anxious to get
that transmitter back.

839
00:47:30,300 --> 00:47:33,501
We expected the transmitter
to last for 15 years,

840
00:47:33,501 --> 00:47:39,934
and so it failed it must be
around 8 years of operation.

841
00:47:39,934 --> 00:47:43,767
Until we get it back to see
why it failed,

842
00:47:43,767 --> 00:47:47,300
we won't know whether that was
just a random part failure

843
00:47:47,300 --> 00:47:50,367
and won't affect
the other transmitter,

844
00:47:50,367 --> 00:47:51,934
but in fact,
what we're planning to do

845
00:47:51,934 --> 00:47:55,033
is when we bring this one back,
we'll refurbish it,

846
00:47:55,033 --> 00:48:00,501
and if necessary,
we can replace the original one,

847
00:48:00,501 --> 00:48:04,267
the one that we're using right
now, in servicing mission four,

848
00:48:04,267 --> 00:48:07,100
so another advantage
of being able to service,

849
00:48:07,100 --> 00:48:08,501
to find out what goes wrong,

850
00:48:08,501 --> 00:48:13,267
fix it and then replace
a box for long life.

851
00:48:13,267 --> 00:48:16,534
-And just a quick one
on the voltage improvement kits,

852
00:48:16,534 --> 00:48:17,968
I'm wondering
if you can tell me

853
00:48:17,968 --> 00:48:22,567
what the upshot is of batteries
overheating on the Hubble?

854
00:48:22,567 --> 00:48:25,367
-Okay.

855
00:48:25,367 --> 00:48:27,567
First, let me say
that under normal ...

856
00:48:27,567 --> 00:48:32,534
When we normally operate Hubble,
it's under computer control,

857
00:48:32,534 --> 00:48:36,300
and the computer controls
the charging cycle.

858
00:48:36,300 --> 00:48:39,701
The one thing we're concerned
about is that

859
00:48:39,701 --> 00:48:42,868
when Hubble goes into
its deepest hardware safe mode,

860
00:48:42,868 --> 00:48:44,834
there's a computer
that takes over

861
00:48:44,834 --> 00:48:48,267
from the other
programmable computer,

862
00:48:48,267 --> 00:48:51,367
and it controls the spacecraft.

863
00:48:51,367 --> 00:48:54,501
What it does is, it takes,
disconnects all the load,

864
00:48:54,501 --> 00:48:55,834
turns off all kinds of boxes

865
00:48:55,834 --> 00:48:59,434
to be sure that the Hubble
is power safe,

866
00:48:59,434 --> 00:49:02,033
and that's
the extended safe mode.

867
00:49:02,033 --> 00:49:07,100
Now, the batteries are used
lightly then,

868
00:49:07,100 --> 00:49:09,501
so when they get charged,
they start to warm up.

869
00:49:09,501 --> 00:49:10,701
That's the problem.

870
00:49:10,701 --> 00:49:13,734
Now, if the worst case is,

871
00:49:13,734 --> 00:49:19,067
is that if over
a period of a day or two,

872
00:49:19,067 --> 00:49:21,467
if we couldn't restore
communications,

873
00:49:21,467 --> 00:49:23,901
then the batteries
would slowly warm up,

874
00:49:23,901 --> 00:49:26,601
and then finally,

875
00:49:26,601 --> 00:49:29,534
if that should happen
and the batteries got too warm,

876
00:49:29,534 --> 00:49:35,534
then the seals would break
and the hydrogen in the battery

877
00:49:35,534 --> 00:49:37,868
would then
just be dispersed into space.

878
00:49:37,868 --> 00:49:46,434
-This is Miles O'Brien with CNN,
for Ed Weiler, I suppose.

879
00:49:46,434 --> 00:49:51,200
Ed, has Hubble answered all of
the big questions

880
00:49:51,200 --> 00:49:54,767
that it set out to answer?

881
00:49:54,767 --> 00:49:58,100
I seem to recall a top-10 list
at least,

882
00:49:58,100 --> 00:50:00,200
and as you look forward
to the next 10 years,

883
00:50:00,200 --> 00:50:01,868
what are the
outstanding questions

884
00:50:01,868 --> 00:50:04,968
you hope to see answered?

885
00:50:04,968 --> 00:50:06,300
-Well, Miles,
on the second question,

886
00:50:06,300 --> 00:50:07,834
we could probably spend
the next hour.

887
00:50:07,834 --> 00:50:10,300
I don't think we want
to do that.

888
00:50:10,300 --> 00:50:12,133
Let's see.

889
00:50:12,133 --> 00:50:16,968
Certainly
Hubble has answered most

890
00:50:16,968 --> 00:50:19,300
if not all of the top questions

891
00:50:19,300 --> 00:50:22,567
that we talked about back
in the 1970s.

892
00:50:22,567 --> 00:50:24,801
You know, it certainly has given
us the Hubble Constant,

893
00:50:24,801 --> 00:50:27,634
the age of the universe
to a 10 percent accuracy.

894
00:50:27,634 --> 00:50:33,467
It's proven the existence
of supermassive black holes,

895
00:50:33,467 --> 00:50:35,000
but we can go through that list,

896
00:50:35,000 --> 00:50:37,167
but I think what's more
important is all the questions

897
00:50:37,167 --> 00:50:40,934
it's enabled us
to ask for the first time,

898
00:50:40,934 --> 00:50:42,400
and the questions it's also ...

899
00:50:42,400 --> 00:50:44,534
and the things that we thought
we knew that we found out

900
00:50:44,534 --> 00:50:46,734
we didn't know very accurately.

901
00:50:46,734 --> 00:50:49,601
Anne Kinney talked about
one of them in terms

902
00:50:49,601 --> 00:50:51,868
of the Hubble Deep Field.

903
00:50:51,868 --> 00:50:54,567
When many of went
to graduate school, the models,

904
00:50:54,567 --> 00:50:56,334
the belief was that galaxies,

905
00:50:56,334 --> 00:50:59,601
which are the largest forms
of matter in the universe,

906
00:50:59,601 --> 00:51:02,934
tens of thousands of light-years
across,

907
00:51:02,934 --> 00:51:05,167
they were formed out of
the uniform hydrogen

908
00:51:05,167 --> 00:51:07,801
and helium cloud that was
expanding after the Big Bang,

909
00:51:07,801 --> 00:51:11,300
and the thought was that such
big structures took a long time

910
00:51:11,300 --> 00:51:13,901
to form after that Big Bang,
perhaps a billion,

911
00:51:13,901 --> 00:51:16,901
perhaps 2 billion
or perhaps even more years.

912
00:51:16,901 --> 00:51:18,200
So we thought when we launched
Hubble,

913
00:51:18,200 --> 00:51:19,601
knowing that we had
the capability

914
00:51:19,601 --> 00:51:22,601
to see back at least that far,
that we would see galaxies

915
00:51:22,601 --> 00:51:24,534
basically in
the act of formation,

916
00:51:24,534 --> 00:51:27,767
in the act of being born,
and we were quite surprised

917
00:51:27,767 --> 00:51:31,968
because what we saw
was pretty well-formed objects

918
00:51:31,968 --> 00:51:33,601
1 billion years
after the Big Bang,

919
00:51:33,601 --> 00:51:37,267
perhaps as little as 800 million
years after the Big Bang,

920
00:51:37,267 --> 00:51:39,968
which meant that the epoch
of galaxy formation

921
00:51:39,968 --> 00:51:45,200
occurred much earlier than most
theoretical models predicted.

922
00:51:45,200 --> 00:51:48,801
This is a problem, and Hubble is
not going to solve that problem.

923
00:51:48,801 --> 00:51:50,667
It doesn't have
the light-gathering capability.

924
00:51:50,667 --> 00:51:54,868
It doesn't have the aperture
to see back even further,

925
00:51:54,868 --> 00:51:57,667
and thus was born
one of the prime driving forces

926
00:51:57,667 --> 00:52:00,367
for the next generation
space telescope

927
00:52:00,367 --> 00:52:03,367
was the fact that we would like
to go back

928
00:52:03,367 --> 00:52:05,367
and not just see the infants
and the toddlers.

929
00:52:05,367 --> 00:52:07,400
We'd like to go see
the act of birth,

930
00:52:07,400 --> 00:52:09,834
that is, how did this universe
get started after the Big Bang?

931
00:52:09,834 --> 00:52:12,100
How did we go from a uniform
cloud of hydrogen

932
00:52:12,100 --> 00:52:16,234
and helium into the complex
universe that we live in today?

933
00:52:16,234 --> 00:52:18,367
Hubble has given us a lot
of answers to that question,

934
00:52:18,367 --> 00:52:21,601
but it's posed some even
more serious questions

935
00:52:21,601 --> 00:52:24,334
about that process.

936
00:52:24,334 --> 00:52:26,834
Another thing I think Hubble is
going to play a major role in,

937
00:52:26,834 --> 00:52:29,234
along with a lot
of other telescopes,

938
00:52:29,234 --> 00:52:31,067
is another thing
that Anne mentioned,

939
00:52:31,067 --> 00:52:33,067
is the whole issue
of gamma-ray bursts.

940
00:52:33,067 --> 00:52:36,000
These are the most powerful
explosions in the universe.

941
00:52:36,000 --> 00:52:37,567
For a few seconds,
they're more powerful

942
00:52:37,567 --> 00:52:40,100
than the Big Bang itself.

943
00:52:40,100 --> 00:52:42,267
Just until a few years ago,
it wasn't known whether

944
00:52:42,267 --> 00:52:44,033
these things
were occurring right next door

945
00:52:44,033 --> 00:52:47,300
to us
or billions of light-years away.

946
00:52:47,300 --> 00:52:49,767
Through a combination
of high-energy satellites,

947
00:52:49,767 --> 00:52:52,367
ground-based telescopes
and Hubble,

948
00:52:52,367 --> 00:52:53,934
we've now shown more
or less definitively

949
00:52:53,934 --> 00:52:56,000
that these objects
seem to be occurring ...

950
00:52:56,000 --> 00:52:58,767
these explosions seem to be
occurring in galaxies.

951
00:52:58,767 --> 00:53:00,934
But what are these explosions?

952
00:53:00,934 --> 00:53:02,767
Are they neutron stars
coming together?

953
00:53:02,767 --> 00:53:05,434
Are they black holes eating
a whole star all at once,

954
00:53:05,434 --> 00:53:07,334
and we're seeing the burst?

955
00:53:07,334 --> 00:53:10,234
We still have no idea, and I
think with the advanced camera

956
00:53:10,234 --> 00:53:11,767
which will be launched in a year

957
00:53:11,767 --> 00:53:14,434
or two
with the other instruments

958
00:53:14,434 --> 00:53:16,367
we're planning
to put up on Hubble

959
00:53:16,367 --> 00:53:18,901
and in combination with
the other great observatories

960
00:53:18,901 --> 00:53:20,968
like Chandra,
the X-ray observatory

961
00:53:20,968 --> 00:53:24,200
and the space
infrared telescope facility,

962
00:53:24,200 --> 00:53:26,834
I think within the next decade,
it's not unfair to say

963
00:53:26,834 --> 00:53:28,501
that we probably will get
a pretty good answer

964
00:53:28,501 --> 00:53:30,901
as to what
these explosions might be.

965
00:53:30,901 --> 00:53:33,934
And it's not just Hubble.

966
00:53:33,934 --> 00:53:35,868
It's Hubble in combination
with all these other programs.

967
00:53:35,868 --> 00:53:37,501
We are really in ...

968
00:53:37,501 --> 00:53:41,667
We're not entering, we are in
a renaissance for astronomy.

969
00:53:41,667 --> 00:53:44,701
Over the last 10 years,
the leaps we've taken in

970
00:53:44,701 --> 00:53:47,100
answering basic questions
and again,

971
00:53:47,100 --> 00:53:52,234
more importantly, sometimes
it's more important to know

972
00:53:52,234 --> 00:53:55,467
the things you don't know,
if that makes any sense.

973
00:53:55,467 --> 00:53:57,667
And I think Hubble has done
a real good job

974
00:53:57,667 --> 00:53:59,501
in just putting us
in our place.

975
00:53:59,501 --> 00:54:02,968
That is, we don't know all there
is to know about this universe,

976
00:54:02,968 --> 00:54:07,601
even though a lot of astronomers
thought they knew most of it.

977
00:54:07,601 --> 00:54:10,734
-A question for Dr. Kinney,
I think.

978
00:54:10,734 --> 00:54:13,934
It's obviously a very sensible
and valuable instrument

979
00:54:13,934 --> 00:54:16,133
which has provided
an awful lot of science,

980
00:54:16,133 --> 00:54:19,801
which you just went through
your personal top-10 list.

981
00:54:19,801 --> 00:54:23,100
When the space walks are
occurring and the space walkers,

982
00:54:23,100 --> 00:54:26,601
as well-trained as they are,
are near that instrument,

983
00:54:26,601 --> 00:54:29,567
is that a nervous time
for scientists and astronomers?

984
00:54:29,567 --> 00:54:32,300
-That's terribly nerve-racking.

985
00:54:32,300 --> 00:54:35,534
Probably the most nerve-racking
for any of us

986
00:54:35,534 --> 00:54:40,033
was the original refurbishment
when COSTAR was put in,

987
00:54:40,033 --> 00:54:42,400
and at that time,
I was an instrument scientist

988
00:54:42,400 --> 00:54:43,834
with the Faint
Object Spectrograph,

989
00:54:43,834 --> 00:54:49,567
and there were booms that had
to be moved out with the mirrors

990
00:54:49,567 --> 00:54:51,968
in place to correct
the Faint Object Spectrograph,

991
00:54:51,968 --> 00:54:53,868
and if they didn't move
to the correct position,

992
00:54:53,868 --> 00:54:57,033
you would block the apertures
instead of correcting them,

993
00:54:57,033 --> 00:54:59,501
and, boy, we didn't get
any sleep at all

994
00:54:59,501 --> 00:55:02,968
for that whole period because
the space walks were at night,

995
00:55:02,968 --> 00:55:05,100
and of course we were
working in the daytime,

996
00:55:05,100 --> 00:55:06,434
so we'd get up
in the morning, go to work.

997
00:55:06,434 --> 00:55:08,400
We'd go home, have dinner, rest,

998
00:55:08,400 --> 00:55:11,234
and then we'd go in
and watch the space walk.

999
00:55:11,234 --> 00:55:14,367
And honestly, there are some
people who couldn't sit down.

1000
00:55:14,367 --> 00:55:16,667
You couldn't ...
It was sort of ...

1001
00:55:16,667 --> 00:55:18,000
Europeans have
the same response

1002
00:55:18,000 --> 00:55:20,567
when they're watching
a world soccer match.

1003
00:55:20,567 --> 00:55:24,834
They can't sit down, but it was
incredibly nerve-racking,

1004
00:55:24,834 --> 00:55:27,334
and some of it is
very difficult to watch.

1005
00:55:27,334 --> 00:55:29,100
You watch with your heart
in your mouth

1006
00:55:29,100 --> 00:55:32,634
basically because, you know,
it really ...

1007
00:55:32,634 --> 00:55:34,000
People live
and breathe this stuff.

1008
00:55:34,000 --> 00:55:35,300
I mean, it really means
a lot to you.

1009
00:55:35,300 --> 00:55:38,901
I'm sure John would say
the same thing.

1010
00:55:38,901 --> 00:55:40,033
-Oh, yeah.

1011
00:55:40,033 --> 00:55:42,067
That's true, but also,
you have ...

1012
00:55:42,067 --> 00:55:44,534
When we're actually doing that,
you have to suppress that

1013
00:55:44,534 --> 00:55:48,067
because you have to try to keep
thinking of what might go wrong

1014
00:55:48,067 --> 00:55:49,601
and how you would react to it,

1015
00:55:49,601 --> 00:55:54,934
so it's necessary to stay cool
as much as possible.

1016
00:55:54,934 --> 00:55:56,567
-Bill Harwood, CBS.

1017
00:55:56,567 --> 00:55:58,767
Two questions, one for Ed
and one for John Campbell,

1018
00:55:58,767 --> 00:56:02,000
but, Ed, on the cost,
following Marcia's question,

1019
00:56:02,000 --> 00:56:04,167
just to review my memory,
can you tell me

1020
00:56:04,167 --> 00:56:07,734
what the projected cost
is through 2010 of Hubble,

1021
00:56:07,734 --> 00:56:10,868
what that grand total comes to,
and I was wondering what ...

1022
00:56:10,868 --> 00:56:12,901
I see you shaking your head,
but I was just curious

1023
00:56:12,901 --> 00:56:15,000
as to what number to put on it,
and I was curious

1024
00:56:15,000 --> 00:56:17,934
as to what the yearly
operational costs are right now

1025
00:56:17,934 --> 00:56:21,934
and what they will be after
the final servicing mission.

1026
00:56:21,934 --> 00:56:24,334
-Okay, we'll have to do this
in real time, Bill,

1027
00:56:24,334 --> 00:56:26,667
so I hope you have
your slide rule with you

1028
00:56:26,667 --> 00:56:29,467
or your Pentium, whatever.

1029
00:56:29,467 --> 00:56:34,100
The Hubble development
cost was about $1.6 billion.

1030
00:56:34,100 --> 00:56:38,067
The annual operating
cost roughly

1031
00:56:38,067 --> 00:56:40,167
is about 200, counting science,

1032
00:56:40,167 --> 00:56:44,300
about $250 million a year
through to '05,

1033
00:56:44,300 --> 00:56:46,934
so that's 15 times 250.

1034
00:56:46,934 --> 00:56:49,434
That's about 4 billion,
plus 1.6,

1035
00:56:49,434 --> 00:56:52,567
that's about 5 billion,
5 1/2 billion.

1036
00:56:52,567 --> 00:56:56,267
And then the last 4 or 5 years,
we'll be down to an annual cost

1037
00:56:56,267 --> 00:57:00,567
as low as maybe 60 or 70,
so that's another 300 million.

1038
00:57:00,567 --> 00:57:02,300
So what does that all add up to,
about 6 billion?

1039
00:57:02,300 --> 00:57:04,000
-Six billion, that's right.
-Boy, oh, boy.

1040
00:57:04,000 --> 00:57:05,234
See?

1041
00:57:05,234 --> 00:57:08,000
We can actually do math
in real time at NASA.

1042
00:57:08,000 --> 00:57:09,434
So that's about $6 billion

1043
00:57:09,434 --> 00:57:13,400
spread over 1980
through two-thousand ...

1044
00:57:13,400 --> 00:57:17,767
to 30 years, that's an average
cost of $200 million a year

1045
00:57:17,767 --> 00:57:23,801
from 1980 to 2010,

1046
00:57:23,801 --> 00:57:29,033
and that equates to about
2 cents a week per American

1047
00:57:29,033 --> 00:57:30,334
over that period of time.

1048
00:57:30,334 --> 00:57:33,567
So that's what they're paying
for the Hubble.

1049
00:57:33,567 --> 00:57:36,067
-Well, that's pretty good
off the top of your head.

1050
00:57:36,067 --> 00:57:37,534
-Without a slide,
without a Pentium, I might add.

1051
00:57:37,534 --> 00:57:38,767
-This is for John Campbell
or maybe Debra.

1052
00:57:38,767 --> 00:57:40,133
I'm not sure which.

1053
00:57:40,133 --> 00:57:43,200
On the gyros, I was hoping
you could refresh my memory.

1054
00:57:43,200 --> 00:57:45,801
I know it's an age-related
failure

1055
00:57:45,801 --> 00:57:48,567
and not a runtime-related
failure

1056
00:57:48,567 --> 00:57:49,968
was my understanding anyway,

1057
00:57:49,968 --> 00:57:52,167
and I was curious
what the operating times

1058
00:57:52,167 --> 00:57:54,100
are on the three
that are still cooking,

1059
00:57:54,100 --> 00:57:56,567
I mean, age and/or
operating time on the three

1060
00:57:56,567 --> 00:57:58,167
that are still working.

1061
00:58:00,434 --> 00:58:03,467
-Actually, it's runtime
and not age.

1062
00:58:03,467 --> 00:58:06,834
The two of the gyros
that are working right now

1063
00:58:06,834 --> 00:58:08,434
are 14 years old,

1064
00:58:08,434 --> 00:58:12,133
but they only have 4 to 6 years
of runtime on them right now.

1065
00:58:17,334 --> 00:58:19,434
-Yeah, well, just a quick
follow-up, I ...

1066
00:58:19,434 --> 00:58:20,734
The embrittlement
that's occurring

1067
00:58:20,734 --> 00:58:22,834
because, I guess,
of the oxygen in the fluid

1068
00:58:22,834 --> 00:58:26,033
affecting the flex wire,

1069
00:58:26,033 --> 00:58:28,868
I was assuming they were exposed
to that fluid all the time,

1070
00:58:28,868 --> 00:58:29,901
whether they were
running or not.

1071
00:58:29,901 --> 00:58:31,234
So I guess I had it backwards.

1072
00:58:31,234 --> 00:58:33,868
I'm just trying to make sure
I understand it.

1073
00:58:33,868 --> 00:58:36,901
-The wires are exposed
to that fluid at all times.

1074
00:58:36,901 --> 00:58:40,501
It's also a temperature issue.

1075
00:58:40,501 --> 00:58:41,901
When the gyros are not on,

1076
00:58:41,901 --> 00:58:44,467
they are stored
at a lower temperature

1077
00:58:44,467 --> 00:58:49,234
than when they are operating,
and it's ...

1078
00:58:49,234 --> 00:58:53,100
The turn-on of the gyro
is what causes the most strain

1079
00:58:53,100 --> 00:58:56,067
on the flexible wire,
and also

1080
00:58:56,067 --> 00:59:02,000
the increased temperature
causes more strain on the wire.

1081
00:59:02,000 --> 00:59:06,801
Being stored is ...
They have to remain stored

1082
00:59:06,801 --> 00:59:10,167
and in this condition
and still operate,

1083
00:59:10,167 --> 00:59:12,968
so that is not
really causing a lot ...

1084
00:59:12,968 --> 00:59:15,634
as much stress on the wire.

1085
00:59:18,067 --> 00:59:19,901
-Hi, Mark Crowe from the Houston
Chronicle.

1086
00:59:19,901 --> 00:59:24,434
For Dr. Weiler,
could you sort of review

1087
00:59:24,434 --> 00:59:27,467
what happened
with the NICMOS camera,

1088
00:59:27,467 --> 00:59:31,734
when it finally lost its cooling
and you couldn't use it anymore,

1089
00:59:31,734 --> 00:59:37,901
and include in that your work on
the replacement cooling system

1090
00:59:37,901 --> 00:59:40,901
and how confident you are now
that when it's installed,

1091
00:59:40,901 --> 00:59:42,200
I gather on the next mission,

1092
00:59:42,200 --> 00:59:45,667
that you'll revive
this instrument?

1093
00:59:45,667 --> 00:59:46,934
-Okay.

1094
00:59:46,934 --> 00:59:48,300
I think I'm going to turn
that over to John

1095
00:59:48,300 --> 00:59:50,234
because he's much closer
to that currently than I am.

1096
00:59:52,434 --> 00:59:53,801
-Right, and I'm trying ...
Okay.

1097
00:59:53,801 --> 00:59:56,067
The ... and Anne, I think
I may need some help there.

1098
00:59:56,067 --> 01:00:00,567
That if I remember right,
the solid nitrogen

1099
01:00:00,567 --> 01:00:04,167
ran out in January of 1998.
Is that right?

1100
01:00:04,167 --> 01:00:06,467
-That's right.
-Yeah, okay, so that's ...

1101
01:00:06,467 --> 01:00:09,901
So since then,
NICMOS has been dormant.

1102
01:00:12,234 --> 01:00:19,033
Around that time, in around
the February/March time frame,

1103
01:00:19,033 --> 01:00:25,467
we began the design
of a refrigerator that is based

1104
01:00:25,467 --> 01:00:26,701
on a high-speed turbine

1105
01:00:26,701 --> 01:00:31,367
that runs around 300,000
to 400,000 RPMs,

1106
01:00:31,367 --> 01:00:36,300
and that refrigerator
was actually tested

1107
01:00:36,300 --> 01:00:38,033
on that same flight

1108
01:00:43,033 --> 01:00:47,534
that we ran with John Glenn

1109
01:00:47,534 --> 01:00:50,567
on the flight
where we tested the computer,

1110
01:00:50,567 --> 01:00:55,801
and it ran there for 7 days,
and we brought it back,

1111
01:00:55,801 --> 01:00:57,734
and it's being refurbished,

1112
01:00:57,734 --> 01:01:02,901
and we have confidence
that it will work,

1113
01:01:02,901 --> 01:01:06,000
but it really is pushing
the technology,

1114
01:01:06,000 --> 01:01:08,734
and the way we're going
to address that,

1115
01:01:08,734 --> 01:01:11,300
and we'll be talking about it as
we come onto this next mission,

1116
01:01:11,300 --> 01:01:17,133
is that if it works then
we're going to be really happy,

1117
01:01:17,133 --> 01:01:18,701
and we'll restore NICMOS.

1118
01:01:18,701 --> 01:01:22,467
If it doesn't, then we hope to
get some technology testing done

1119
01:01:22,467 --> 01:01:27,000
that can help build
other refrigerators

1120
01:01:27,000 --> 01:01:30,167
that can be used in space.

1121
01:01:30,167 --> 01:01:32,834
-That's an important point
because this technology

1122
01:01:32,834 --> 01:01:34,868
is really critical
for telescopes

1123
01:01:34,868 --> 01:01:37,734
like the next-generation
space telescope.

1124
01:01:37,734 --> 01:01:39,234
That will have infrared
instruments,

1125
01:01:39,234 --> 01:01:40,334
and it will need ...

1126
01:01:40,334 --> 01:01:42,868
Those instruments
will need to be cooled.

1127
01:01:42,868 --> 01:01:45,067
Since the next-generation space
telescope

1128
01:01:45,067 --> 01:01:48,367
is planned to be at a Lagrangian
point around the Earth,

1129
01:01:48,367 --> 01:01:50,167
about 1 million miles
away from Earth.

1130
01:01:50,167 --> 01:01:53,234
It's not going to be visited by
astronauts on the space shuttle,

1131
01:01:53,234 --> 01:01:55,501
so the idea
of using solid cryogens,

1132
01:01:55,501 --> 01:01:57,801
which might have a lifetime
of 1 or 2 or 3 years,

1133
01:01:57,801 --> 01:02:00,601
just doesn't make
a lot of sense.

1134
01:02:00,601 --> 01:02:05,868
So whether the mechanical cooler
for Hubble for the NICMOS works

1135
01:02:05,868 --> 01:02:08,300
or doesn't work, we will at
least make a lot of progress

1136
01:02:08,300 --> 01:02:11,467
toward realizing
that technology in the future.

1137
01:02:11,467 --> 01:02:14,934
-My colleague corrected me
on when the cryogen ran out.

1138
01:02:14,934 --> 01:02:17,534
It really was January 1999,

1139
01:02:17,534 --> 01:02:22,234
and it was such a blur
that between that time

1140
01:02:22,234 --> 01:02:25,033
and the host flight in October
there was actually ...

1141
01:02:25,033 --> 01:02:29,400
developed this model
and tested it, flown it.

1142
01:02:29,400 --> 01:02:32,467
So it was really
a rapid development.

1143
01:02:32,467 --> 01:02:33,968
Thanks.

1144
01:02:33,968 --> 01:02:35,834
-Okay, we'll take one
more question

1145
01:02:35,834 --> 01:02:38,067
or two more questions that
is from Johnson Space Center.

1146
01:02:38,067 --> 01:02:39,968
Then we'll go to
the Kennedy Space Center.

1147
01:02:39,968 --> 01:02:42,200
So go ahead please.

1148
01:02:42,200 --> 01:02:44,300
-Todd Halvorson, Space.com
again,

1149
01:02:44,300 --> 01:02:47,133
I was wondering,
Ed or Dr. Campbell,

1150
01:02:47,133 --> 01:02:49,934
if you could refresh my memory
on whether the advanced camera

1151
01:02:49,934 --> 01:02:53,501
for surveys is the last
scientific instrument

1152
01:02:53,501 --> 01:02:55,534
that will be going aboard Hubble

1153
01:02:55,534 --> 01:02:57,734
or if you could just
kind of lay out for us

1154
01:02:57,734 --> 01:03:02,334
real quickly the 3B mission
and then what's beyond that.

1155
01:03:02,334 --> 01:03:03,667
-In terms of this,
I'll do the science.

1156
01:03:03,667 --> 01:03:06,434
John can add
the engineering part.

1157
01:03:06,434 --> 01:03:09,801
On the 1999 mission
we'll be taking up to NICMOS ...

1158
01:03:09,801 --> 01:03:12,200
'99 mission which will now
be the 2001 mission.

1159
01:03:12,200 --> 01:03:14,567
-Right.
-The June 2001 mission

1160
01:03:14,567 --> 01:03:17,133
will have two
major scientific advances.

1161
01:03:17,133 --> 01:03:20,000
One is the advanced camera
for surveys,

1162
01:03:20,000 --> 01:03:22,267
which has a combined increase
in capability

1163
01:03:22,267 --> 01:03:26,200
over the Wide Field Camera
2 of about a factor of 10.

1164
01:03:26,200 --> 01:03:29,634
In addition, we'll be taking up
to NICMOS a cryocooler kit,

1165
01:03:29,634 --> 01:03:32,133
which if it works will restore

1166
01:03:32,133 --> 01:03:36,067
basically a dead instrument
back to life.

1167
01:03:36,067 --> 01:03:37,701
In 2003,

1168
01:03:37,701 --> 01:03:40,267
we'll be doing the final
servicing mission of Hubble,

1169
01:03:40,267 --> 01:03:43,834
and we'll be flying
the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph,

1170
01:03:43,834 --> 01:03:45,901
which is a far more
capable spectrograph

1171
01:03:45,901 --> 01:03:48,100
in terms of reaching very
faint objects in the universe

1172
01:03:48,100 --> 01:03:49,467
than we've had before,

1173
01:03:49,467 --> 01:03:52,234
and we'll also be installing
an insurance policy

1174
01:03:52,234 --> 01:03:56,300
for continued
high-quality imaging

1175
01:03:56,300 --> 01:03:59,868
via the Wide Field Planetary
Camera 3.

1176
01:03:59,868 --> 01:04:04,133
So having the advanced camera
surveys put up there in 2001

1177
01:04:04,133 --> 01:04:07,067
and the Wide Field
Camera 3 in 2003,

1178
01:04:07,067 --> 01:04:11,100
we should ensure our ability
to take pictures with Hubble

1179
01:04:11,100 --> 01:04:14,334
through the 2010
planned end of life.

1180
01:04:14,334 --> 01:04:16,501
John, you want to talk about
some of the other hardware,

1181
01:04:16,501 --> 01:04:18,334
solar panels, et cetera?

1182
01:04:18,334 --> 01:04:21,467
-Yes, and in this next coming
mission after this one,

1183
01:04:21,467 --> 01:04:24,801
we plan to replace
the solar rays

1184
01:04:24,801 --> 01:04:27,300
and to add
some cooling capability

1185
01:04:27,300 --> 01:04:29,200
to the aft end of the telescope

1186
01:04:29,200 --> 01:04:32,767
so that we can run
more instruments together,

1187
01:04:32,767 --> 01:04:36,300
and we cool those instruments
so they don't get too warm.

1188
01:04:36,300 --> 01:04:38,334
That will get us even
more science data

1189
01:04:38,334 --> 01:04:39,567
than what we've seen to date.

1190
01:04:39,567 --> 01:04:41,634
We're looking forward to that.

1191
01:04:41,634 --> 01:04:46,167
In the final servicing mission,
we're replacing those batteries,

1192
01:04:46,167 --> 01:04:51,367
and then we'll have a fresh set
for the rest of Hubble's life,

1193
01:04:51,367 --> 01:04:54,501
and the instruments
and as Debby told you

1194
01:04:54,501 --> 01:04:57,667
in the final servicing mission,
we'll change out all six gyros

1195
01:04:57,667 --> 01:05:01,367
to be sure that they last
for the rest of Hubble's life.

1196
01:05:01,367 --> 01:05:03,534
-And obviously at the last
possible minute,

1197
01:05:03,534 --> 01:05:06,133
which will probably be
roughly a year or so

1198
01:05:06,133 --> 01:05:09,400
before the 2003 final
servicing mission,

1199
01:05:09,400 --> 01:05:11,634
we'll take a close look at every
piece of hardware on there

1200
01:05:11,634 --> 01:05:13,868
and see what we should replace

1201
01:05:13,868 --> 01:05:16,534
if we can to again
do the best job

1202
01:05:16,534 --> 01:05:18,934
we can to keeping
this thing going to 2010

1203
01:05:18,934 --> 01:05:22,634
because after 2003 there will be
no other servicing missions,

1204
01:05:22,634 --> 01:05:26,734
and what we have
is what we'll have.

1205
01:05:26,734 --> 01:05:29,868
-Clint Houston with
Discovery News for Dr. Weiler,

1206
01:05:29,868 --> 01:05:33,367
do you still consider
this mission an emergency?

1207
01:05:33,367 --> 01:05:35,400
-I don't think I ever called it
an emergency.

1208
01:05:35,400 --> 01:05:38,467
It's not a routine-maintenance
mission,

1209
01:05:38,467 --> 01:05:42,133
and it's not an emergency
mission as NASA defines it.

1210
01:05:42,133 --> 01:05:44,300
An emergency mission for Hubble
would be

1211
01:05:44,300 --> 01:05:48,467
where we are one failure away
from losing the spacecraft.

1212
01:05:48,467 --> 01:05:51,701
Okay, we are not one failure
away from losing the spacecraft.

1213
01:05:51,701 --> 01:05:54,601
We are one gyro failure away
from losing science,

1214
01:05:54,601 --> 01:05:55,968
so that's called a ...

1215
01:05:55,968 --> 01:05:59,133
In our jargon, it's called
a contingency mission.

1216
01:05:59,133 --> 01:06:00,801
So it's somewhere between
an emergency

1217
01:06:00,801 --> 01:06:04,634
and a routine-servicing mission.

1218
01:06:04,634 --> 01:06:07,234
-We'll go to the Kennedy Space
Center for questions now.

1219
01:06:07,234 --> 01:06:08,200
Go ahead please.

1220
01:06:08,200 --> 01:06:10,801
Give us your name
and affiliation.

1221
01:06:10,801 --> 01:06:12,767
-This is Mike Cabbage
with the Orlando Sentinel,

1222
01:06:12,767 --> 01:06:15,667
and I have a couple of sort
of big picture questions

1223
01:06:15,667 --> 01:06:17,634
for Dr. Weiler.

1224
01:06:17,634 --> 01:06:20,434
First, could you put into
perspective

1225
01:06:20,434 --> 01:06:22,033
where Hubble's contributions

1226
01:06:22,033 --> 01:06:25,033
fit into humankind's
understanding of the universe

1227
01:06:25,033 --> 01:06:27,601
as it's evolved
over the past millennium,

1228
01:06:27,601 --> 01:06:31,334
and secondly, why do you think
Hubble's images have attracted

1229
01:06:31,334 --> 01:06:36,000
the attention from the public
and the media that they have?

1230
01:06:36,000 --> 01:06:37,133
-Those are great questions.

1231
01:06:37,133 --> 01:06:38,968
Remind me to come back
to the first one.

1232
01:06:38,968 --> 01:06:41,534
In terms of the public interest
in Hubble,

1233
01:06:41,534 --> 01:06:43,334
I think it's something
as basic as this.

1234
01:06:43,334 --> 01:06:44,734
Astronomy is unique science.

1235
01:06:44,734 --> 01:06:46,400
I've always enjoyed being
an astronomer

1236
01:06:46,400 --> 01:06:48,334
as opposed to a chemist
or a biologist

1237
01:06:48,334 --> 01:06:52,934
or a microbiologist, whatever,
because the real people,

1238
01:06:52,934 --> 01:06:55,300
that is people
who aren't scientists,

1239
01:06:55,300 --> 01:06:56,734
can appreciate what you do.

1240
01:06:56,734 --> 01:06:59,167
All they have to do is go out on
a clear night away from cities

1241
01:06:59,167 --> 01:07:02,501
and look up in the sky
and wonder a little bit.

1242
01:07:02,501 --> 01:07:05,434
If we can get them that far,
they'll like astronomy.

1243
01:07:05,434 --> 01:07:07,667
You cannot ... No thinking human
being can look up

1244
01:07:07,667 --> 01:07:08,934
at the sky in Arizona

1245
01:07:08,934 --> 01:07:11,834
on top of a mountain
on a clear night

1246
01:07:11,834 --> 01:07:15,267
and not wonder about
their place in all this.

1247
01:07:15,267 --> 01:07:17,000
How did he get there?
Why is it there?

1248
01:07:17,000 --> 01:07:18,667
Are we alone?

1249
01:07:18,667 --> 01:07:20,868
That's what astronomy
is all about.

1250
01:07:20,868 --> 01:07:22,767
These are not science questions.

1251
01:07:22,767 --> 01:07:24,234
How did it all begin?

1252
01:07:24,234 --> 01:07:25,934
How did we get here?
Are we alone?

1253
01:07:25,934 --> 01:07:29,567
These are human questions,
basic philosophical

1254
01:07:29,567 --> 01:07:31,801
human questions
that people have asked

1255
01:07:31,801 --> 01:07:35,701
since the days that cavemen
and women got up from the fire

1256
01:07:35,701 --> 01:07:37,100
and walked outside at night

1257
01:07:37,100 --> 01:07:40,601
if there weren't any
saber-toothed tigers outside.

1258
01:07:40,601 --> 01:07:43,334
So that's why I think
astronomy attracts people.

1259
01:07:43,334 --> 01:07:46,334
I think Hubble images
because of the fact that ...

1260
01:07:46,334 --> 01:07:47,734
Well, first of all,
they're the best images

1261
01:07:47,734 --> 01:07:50,501
ever returned
to the universe.

1262
01:07:50,501 --> 01:07:52,300
Certainly, there's
an added advantage

1263
01:07:52,300 --> 01:07:53,934
of not using
black-and-white film

1264
01:07:53,934 --> 01:07:56,467
like astronomers
used to use 20, 30 years ago.

1265
01:07:56,467 --> 01:08:02,100
Color does sell, and the fact
that the universe is pretty big,

1266
01:08:02,100 --> 01:08:05,067
it has a variety
of things that,

1267
01:08:05,067 --> 01:08:07,501
you know, some of them
are very beautiful.

1268
01:08:07,501 --> 01:08:09,734
I mean, even pictures of comets
hitting Jupiter

1269
01:08:09,734 --> 01:08:11,901
are beautiful in a sense.

1270
01:08:11,901 --> 01:08:13,767
They certainly make you think.

1271
01:08:13,767 --> 01:08:15,133
They put you in your place.

1272
01:08:15,133 --> 01:08:16,968
I mean, this could happen here.

1273
01:08:16,968 --> 01:08:18,534
It may have happened
when the dinosaurs

1274
01:08:18,534 --> 01:08:20,033
were happily living here,

1275
01:08:20,033 --> 01:08:23,767
and a comet or an asteroid hit
the Earth 65 million years ago,

1276
01:08:23,767 --> 01:08:26,133
and the dinosaurs
disappointed along

1277
01:08:26,133 --> 01:08:28,100
with a lot of other things.

1278
01:08:28,100 --> 01:08:33,434
So astronomy teaches us
about our past and teaches us

1279
01:08:33,434 --> 01:08:37,667
perhaps if we're smart enough
about our future,

1280
01:08:37,667 --> 01:08:41,801
and in terms ...
I forgot your first question.

1281
01:08:41,801 --> 01:08:44,167
I answered your second question
I hope,

1282
01:08:44,167 --> 01:08:45,567
why does Hubble, you know ...

1283
01:08:45,567 --> 01:08:47,834
-In the context
of the millennium,

1284
01:08:47,834 --> 01:08:50,901
how does this mission stand up?

1285
01:08:50,901 --> 01:08:53,400
-In the context of
the millennium, I don't ...

1286
01:08:53,400 --> 01:08:56,534
Well, I thought the question
was more of, you know ...

1287
01:08:56,534 --> 01:08:58,534
Well, let me ...
Why don't you ask

1288
01:08:58,534 --> 01:09:00,067
your first part
of your question again

1289
01:09:00,067 --> 01:09:01,734
so I don't answer
the wrong question.

1290
01:09:01,734 --> 01:09:03,734
-The first part
of my question was,

1291
01:09:03,734 --> 01:09:07,434
could you put into perspective
where Hubble's contributions

1292
01:09:07,434 --> 01:09:09,767
fit into humankind's
understanding of the universe

1293
01:09:09,767 --> 01:09:13,100
as it's evolved
over the past millennium?

1294
01:09:13,100 --> 01:09:15,067
How does it stack up to ...

1295
01:09:15,067 --> 01:09:16,601
How do Hubble's discoveries
stack up

1296
01:09:16,601 --> 01:09:18,434
against some of the discoveries
from people like

1297
01:09:18,434 --> 01:09:21,601
Galileo, Kepler and Herschel
as you look at the big picture

1298
01:09:21,601 --> 01:09:23,701
of how our understanding
of the universe

1299
01:09:23,701 --> 01:09:26,734
has changed over
the last 1,000 years?

1300
01:09:26,734 --> 01:09:28,701
-Well, that's a big-picture
question,

1301
01:09:28,701 --> 01:09:30,868
and I'll try not to give you
a big-picture answer

1302
01:09:30,868 --> 01:09:32,300
because it would take too long,

1303
01:09:32,300 --> 01:09:36,234
but first of all it's hard
to compare Hubble to a Galileo,

1304
01:09:36,234 --> 01:09:38,100
to different instruments

1305
01:09:38,100 --> 01:09:41,601
because they're all part
of the scientific quest

1306
01:09:41,601 --> 01:09:43,534
of understanding
our place in the universe.

1307
01:09:43,534 --> 01:09:44,934
That's the one common theme,

1308
01:09:44,934 --> 01:09:47,734
what is our place
in the universe,

1309
01:09:47,734 --> 01:09:49,200
and let me just use
a little analogy

1310
01:09:49,200 --> 01:09:54,467
to try to put Hubble's stance
in that analogy.

1311
01:09:54,467 --> 01:09:56,133
Back when humans first
started thinking

1312
01:09:56,133 --> 01:09:58,534
when there wasn't TV
and they actually, you know,

1313
01:09:58,534 --> 01:10:02,234
thought about things 2,000,
3,000 years ago,

1314
01:10:02,234 --> 01:10:03,934
they figured out
that this universe,

1315
01:10:03,934 --> 01:10:05,734
these stars they
all rotate around ...

1316
01:10:05,734 --> 01:10:06,834
revolve around the Earth,

1317
01:10:06,834 --> 01:10:08,801
and humans are the center
of the universe.

1318
01:10:08,801 --> 01:10:11,300
Obviously, the universe
was created for humans.

1319
01:10:11,300 --> 01:10:13,367
The Earth was at the center,
and everything in the universe

1320
01:10:13,367 --> 01:10:15,901
rotated around it.

1321
01:10:15,901 --> 01:10:18,400
Well, a few thousand years
later, along came that guy.

1322
01:10:18,400 --> 01:10:20,167
You mentioned Galileo
and Copernicus

1323
01:10:20,167 --> 01:10:23,467
and Kepler and Tycho Brahe,
and through their work,

1324
01:10:23,467 --> 01:10:25,367
especially when Galileo
just had the nerve

1325
01:10:25,367 --> 01:10:28,334
to build a telescope
and look at Jupiter

1326
01:10:28,334 --> 01:10:30,968
as one of his first targets,
he saw little dots,

1327
01:10:30,968 --> 01:10:32,934
and they were moving
around Jupiter.

1328
01:10:32,934 --> 01:10:34,801
Every night, they would be
in a different position,

1329
01:10:34,801 --> 01:10:37,200
and when he plotted it out,
they were moving around Jupiter.

1330
01:10:37,200 --> 01:10:38,767
This of course was impossible.

1331
01:10:38,767 --> 01:10:39,701
Right?

1332
01:10:39,701 --> 01:10:41,100
Well, it wasn't.

1333
01:10:41,100 --> 01:10:42,367
Things did move around
Jupiter,

1334
01:10:42,367 --> 01:10:44,634
namely its moons.

1335
01:10:44,634 --> 01:10:47,033
Well, humans found
another way to solve the problem

1336
01:10:47,033 --> 01:10:48,801
of having a special place
in the universe.

1337
01:10:48,801 --> 01:10:50,467
We then admitted the fact

1338
01:10:50,467 --> 01:10:52,801
that maybe the Earth
wasn't at the center,

1339
01:10:52,801 --> 01:10:55,133
but obviously
the Sun had to be,

1340
01:10:55,133 --> 01:10:58,801
so we relegated ourselves
just to being one planet.

1341
01:10:58,801 --> 01:11:01,267
However, the Sun was the most
special thing in the universe,

1342
01:11:01,267 --> 01:11:03,400
and everything
rotated around it.

1343
01:11:03,400 --> 01:11:06,367
To speed up the story,
we found out that wasn't right,

1344
01:11:06,367 --> 01:11:08,934
that our sun was
just another star,

1345
01:11:08,934 --> 01:11:11,534
but we made it
a very special star

1346
01:11:11,534 --> 01:11:15,000
perhaps at the center of the
universe, center of the galaxy.

1347
01:11:15,000 --> 01:11:16,300
We found out that wasn't right.

1348
01:11:16,300 --> 01:11:21,534
Our Sun was just sort of
in the suburbs of the galaxy.

1349
01:11:21,534 --> 01:11:23,400
Then we discovered
that there were hundreds

1350
01:11:23,400 --> 01:11:25,367
of billions of galaxies.

1351
01:11:25,367 --> 01:11:27,734
So here we were,
just a lousy little star

1352
01:11:27,734 --> 01:11:29,234
on a little speck of dust

1353
01:11:29,234 --> 01:11:32,467
in a galaxy that's pretty
darn routine in a universe

1354
01:11:32,467 --> 01:11:35,033
with hundreds and hundreds
of billions of galaxies.

1355
01:11:35,033 --> 01:11:37,701
So what do we have left?

1356
01:11:37,701 --> 01:11:40,601
We've got the only solar system,

1357
01:11:40,601 --> 01:11:42,501
and most astronomers
would have ...

1358
01:11:42,501 --> 01:11:48,033
Most people would have accepted
that 50, 60, 70 years ago.

1359
01:11:48,033 --> 01:11:49,200
Well, then these ground-base

1360
01:11:49,200 --> 01:11:51,267
astronomers came along
3 years ago

1361
01:11:51,267 --> 01:11:53,801
and had the nerve to find
that there were other planets

1362
01:11:53,801 --> 01:11:58,200
out there around other stars,
in fact a lot of them.

1363
01:11:58,200 --> 01:12:00,300
Admittedly, they're not
nice places to live.

1364
01:12:00,300 --> 01:12:04,200
They're five times the size
of Jupiter, gaseous atmospheres,

1365
01:12:04,200 --> 01:12:06,567
too close to a star,
too far away.

1366
01:12:06,567 --> 01:12:08,434
They weren't what Goldilocks
would say

1367
01:12:08,434 --> 01:12:12,167
was just right like the Earth,
but there were other planets.

1368
01:12:12,167 --> 01:12:13,300
So here we go again.

1369
01:12:13,300 --> 01:12:14,968
There are other solar systems
out there.

1370
01:12:14,968 --> 01:12:16,467
What's the final thing we have?

1371
01:12:16,467 --> 01:12:18,033
And by the way, Hubble,
that's where Hubble

1372
01:12:18,033 --> 01:12:20,067
has really played
a major role.

1373
01:12:20,067 --> 01:12:21,901
The ground-base astronomers
have actually found

1374
01:12:21,901 --> 01:12:23,334
some of these planets.

1375
01:12:23,334 --> 01:12:26,434
What Hubble has done is seen
these planetary disks

1376
01:12:26,434 --> 01:12:29,701
around very,
very many young stars,

1377
01:12:29,701 --> 01:12:31,434
so called protoplanetary
disks,

1378
01:12:31,434 --> 01:12:34,334
and Hubble's role in that
is showing that the process,

1379
01:12:34,334 --> 01:12:37,300
the process of creating
solar systems,

1380
01:12:37,300 --> 01:12:40,133
the formation of solar systems
is probably

1381
01:12:40,133 --> 01:12:43,868
very, very, very common.

1382
01:12:43,868 --> 01:12:46,434
In the Orion nebula,
which is just one gas cloud

1383
01:12:46,434 --> 01:12:47,734
in our galaxy,

1384
01:12:47,734 --> 01:12:50,000
we looked at something
like 56 young stars

1385
01:12:50,000 --> 01:12:51,300
a few million years old.

1386
01:12:51,300 --> 01:12:54,567
Half of those stars
had these disks around them,

1387
01:12:54,567 --> 01:12:57,300
which may probably
will form solar systems

1388
01:12:57,300 --> 01:12:59,434
someday in the future.

1389
01:12:59,434 --> 01:13:01,567
So what do we have left?

1390
01:13:01,567 --> 01:13:03,634
We're the only life
in the universe.

1391
01:13:03,634 --> 01:13:06,100
That's the last thread
we're holding onto

1392
01:13:06,100 --> 01:13:08,801
for our special place
in the universe,

1393
01:13:08,801 --> 01:13:10,801
and if I can be so bold
I will predict

1394
01:13:10,801 --> 01:13:13,400
if NASA continues to get
a reasonable budget

1395
01:13:13,400 --> 01:13:15,334
for the next 10 or 20 years

1396
01:13:15,334 --> 01:13:19,133
we will build systems
which will definitively show

1397
01:13:19,133 --> 01:13:22,133
that we are not the only life
in the universe,

1398
01:13:22,133 --> 01:13:24,968
that life sprung up
on other places.

1399
01:13:24,968 --> 01:13:28,734
Certainly, my kids, your kids
will live to see that day

1400
01:13:28,734 --> 01:13:32,434
because I don't think
that one star in 100 billion

1401
01:13:32,434 --> 01:13:33,667
in our galaxy,

1402
01:13:33,667 --> 01:13:35,634
one galaxy in
100 billion galaxies

1403
01:13:35,634 --> 01:13:39,167
is the only place
that a few cells got together

1404
01:13:39,167 --> 01:13:42,267
and started reproducing.

1405
01:13:42,267 --> 01:13:44,200
Everything we know
about biology tells us

1406
01:13:44,200 --> 01:13:47,000
that if you've got water,
if you've got organic chemistry

1407
01:13:47,000 --> 01:13:50,834
and you've got energy life
seems to find a way to form,

1408
01:13:50,834 --> 01:13:52,234
and we see that kind of stuff

1409
01:13:52,234 --> 01:13:54,367
every place we look
in the universe,

1410
01:13:54,367 --> 01:13:59,434
those three things:
water, energy and organics.

1411
01:13:59,434 --> 01:14:00,801
So I don't know if that answers
your question,

1412
01:14:00,801 --> 01:14:06,567
but it was fun
telling you about it.

1413
01:14:06,567 --> 01:14:09,434
-Robin Siriano with Florida
Today and Space Online,

1414
01:14:09,434 --> 01:14:11,734
I have a couple questions
about the insulation repairs

1415
01:14:11,734 --> 01:14:13,434
for John I guess.

1416
01:14:13,434 --> 01:14:15,501
Just how important
are these repairs,

1417
01:14:15,501 --> 01:14:18,167
and if they couldn't be
carried out for some reason,

1418
01:14:18,167 --> 01:14:19,934
do you have thermal concerns

1419
01:14:19,934 --> 01:14:24,300
that could lead to performance
degradation or anything?

1420
01:14:24,300 --> 01:14:28,267
-Well, first, let me say on the
forward part of the telescope

1421
01:14:28,267 --> 01:14:33,400
where that wallpaper goes that
we can detect no change

1422
01:14:33,400 --> 01:14:35,167
in Hubble's operation.

1423
01:14:35,167 --> 01:14:39,267
That tells us that
this insulation has degraded.

1424
01:14:39,267 --> 01:14:43,834
So we're really putting it on
as a preventive measure

1425
01:14:43,834 --> 01:14:47,033
rather than
as fixing a problem.

1426
01:14:49,868 --> 01:14:53,601
The insulation on the equipment
base has degraded

1427
01:14:53,601 --> 01:14:58,801
and some of the components in
those bays have warmed up a bit.

1428
01:14:58,801 --> 01:15:05,267
We could without a problem
go through say until 2003

1429
01:15:05,267 --> 01:15:08,400
without having to do anything,
and then the solution to that

1430
01:15:08,400 --> 01:15:10,400
if we could never fix
that insulation

1431
01:15:10,400 --> 01:15:15,400
would just be to turn things off
more often than we would like.

1432
01:15:15,400 --> 01:15:19,901
So right now, we're not affected
by any thermal concerns,

1433
01:15:19,901 --> 01:15:21,767
and so we just
want to prevent that,

1434
01:15:21,767 --> 01:15:25,767
and whatever insulation
we are unable to put on

1435
01:15:25,767 --> 01:15:28,334
during this mission we can
put on in the next mission,

1436
01:15:28,334 --> 01:15:32,434
and I don't think
we'll be affected at all.

1437
01:15:32,434 --> 01:15:33,934
-Okay, thank you,
and also for John,

1438
01:15:33,934 --> 01:15:36,667
you mentioned that two
of the gyros are 14 years old

1439
01:15:36,667 --> 01:15:39,501
and have 4
to 6 years of runtime.

1440
01:15:39,501 --> 01:15:41,467
What is ... How old
is the third one?

1441
01:15:41,467 --> 01:15:42,767
How much runtime does it have,

1442
01:15:42,767 --> 01:15:45,667
and what is the expected runtime
out of one of these?

1443
01:15:49,000 --> 01:15:52,434
-The third gyro was installed
during Servicing Mission One

1444
01:15:52,434 --> 01:15:59,400
in late 1993,
so it must be 6 years old.

1445
01:15:59,400 --> 01:16:04,167
It's runtime is about the same.

1446
01:16:04,167 --> 01:16:09,400
Operating life, as explained
by Debbie, is quite uncertain.

1447
01:16:09,400 --> 01:16:12,234
We have experienced
that these gyros will run

1448
01:16:12,234 --> 01:16:15,834
typically from 4 to 6 years,
but as we mentioned earlier

1449
01:16:15,834 --> 01:16:18,000
we've got experience
with other spacecraft

1450
01:16:18,000 --> 01:16:22,000
where they can last
much longer than that.

1451
01:16:22,000 --> 01:16:24,934
-Okay, thank you, and one
last question from me for Ed,

1452
01:16:24,934 --> 01:16:27,667
I know you say it's not
an emergency mission,

1453
01:16:27,667 --> 01:16:31,400
but I wonder how the launch
delays might have increased

1454
01:16:31,400 --> 01:16:34,934
anxiety among scientists
who are maybe a little concerned

1455
01:16:34,934 --> 01:16:36,968
because you are sort of
running on your last legs

1456
01:16:36,968 --> 01:16:38,567
with these three gyros.

1457
01:16:41,534 --> 01:16:42,901
-I really can't answer
the question

1458
01:16:42,901 --> 01:16:45,367
because I haven't detected
any great anxiety.

1459
01:16:45,367 --> 01:16:49,033
I mean, there are so many other
things to worry about in life.

1460
01:16:49,033 --> 01:16:52,934
You know, if we get up there
in the next, you know,

1461
01:16:52,934 --> 01:16:55,200
couple weeks as we plan,

1462
01:16:55,200 --> 01:16:58,100
as I said, we're not going
to lose any science at all.

1463
01:16:58,100 --> 01:17:00,734
If for whatever reason we'd have
to slip until January

1464
01:17:00,734 --> 01:17:03,834
or February,
you know, the odds are ...

1465
01:17:03,834 --> 01:17:05,934
Nobody can calculate the odds
of whether the gyro

1466
01:17:05,934 --> 01:17:09,501
is going to fail or not,
so it's a toss-up.

1467
01:17:09,501 --> 01:17:11,667
If we lose science, that'll be
extremely regrettable,

1468
01:17:11,667 --> 01:17:14,801
but on the other hand safety of
the shuttle is our number-one,

1469
01:17:14,801 --> 01:17:17,501
you know, number-one concern,

1470
01:17:17,501 --> 01:17:19,767
and until we're absolutely sure
the shuttle is safe

1471
01:17:19,767 --> 01:17:22,968
we're going to, you know,
risk a gyro failing on Hubble.

1472
01:17:22,968 --> 01:17:26,234
That's not even a trade-off.

1473
01:17:26,234 --> 01:17:27,734
-This is Phil...for John.

1474
01:17:27,734 --> 01:17:30,801
Let me follow up on Robin's
question about the insulation.

1475
01:17:30,801 --> 01:17:33,267
What kind of concerns
do you have of the insulation

1476
01:17:33,267 --> 01:17:35,300
if it flakes off?

1477
01:17:35,300 --> 01:17:37,601
Is there any serious concerns
of any particular area

1478
01:17:37,601 --> 01:17:40,901
where somebody touching it wrong
or something else

1479
01:17:40,901 --> 01:17:43,267
might cause it to flake off
while you're surfacing,

1480
01:17:43,267 --> 01:17:44,767
and what's
the worst-case scenario

1481
01:17:44,767 --> 01:17:48,334
if the insulation does get
in either some optics?

1482
01:17:48,334 --> 01:17:50,601
How much would it
affect performance

1483
01:17:50,601 --> 01:17:53,901
if something like
that did happen?

1484
01:17:53,901 --> 01:17:55,901
-Well, first, let me say

1485
01:17:55,901 --> 01:17:59,300
that this degradation
of the insulation

1486
01:17:59,300 --> 01:18:01,267
is because of
the external environment.

1487
01:18:01,267 --> 01:18:04,400
The insulation that's inside
the telescope,

1488
01:18:04,400 --> 01:18:08,601
inside the doors in the aft
shroud is absolutely pristine.

1489
01:18:08,601 --> 01:18:12,000
There's never been any
indication of any degradation,

1490
01:18:12,000 --> 01:18:14,467
and the astronauts
were working back

1491
01:18:14,467 --> 01:18:17,734
inside the back of the telescope
where the gyros

1492
01:18:17,734 --> 01:18:19,634
are when they installed
the two instruments

1493
01:18:19,634 --> 01:18:22,000
in Servicing Mission Two.

1494
01:18:22,000 --> 01:18:25,701
So that's perfectly okay.

1495
01:18:25,701 --> 01:18:29,601
Now, we are opening the doors
for the gyros,

1496
01:18:29,601 --> 01:18:32,100
and we're opening the door
to put

1497
01:18:32,100 --> 01:18:34,501
the Fine Guidance Sensor in,
but we're doing that

1498
01:18:34,501 --> 01:18:37,033
before we're doing
any insulation at all.

1499
01:18:37,033 --> 01:18:40,701
So we'll have those doors open
and closed,

1500
01:18:40,701 --> 01:18:42,267
the aperture doors closed.

1501
01:18:42,267 --> 01:18:45,267
So there's no reason that
any of the insulation

1502
01:18:45,267 --> 01:18:48,300
could ever get
inside the telescope.

1503
01:18:51,400 --> 01:18:53,734
-Okay, and a couple people,

1504
01:18:53,734 --> 01:18:55,567
I guess Ed and Ann,
have both talked about the fact

1505
01:18:55,567 --> 01:18:57,367
that you're not improving
science on this mission.

1506
01:18:57,367 --> 01:18:59,133
You're just improving
the telescope.

1507
01:18:59,133 --> 01:19:01,334
Any thoughts about the fact
that when it was launched

1508
01:19:01,334 --> 01:19:03,067
Hubble had five instruments,

1509
01:19:03,067 --> 01:19:05,868
and then with the First
Servicing Mission it had four,

1510
01:19:05,868 --> 01:19:08,167
and now it's down to only
two operational instruments,

1511
01:19:08,167 --> 01:19:13,300
the STIS and the WFPC2,
about a third of the number

1512
01:19:13,300 --> 01:19:15,634
of instruments
you had when it was launched?

1513
01:19:15,634 --> 01:19:21,133
-Well, Phil, I wish science were
simple numerology, but it isn't.

1514
01:19:21,133 --> 01:19:22,267
You know,
you should have asked me,

1515
01:19:22,267 --> 01:19:24,367
would I rather have
the two 1990s

1516
01:19:24,367 --> 01:19:25,767
instruments I have operating now

1517
01:19:25,767 --> 01:19:28,534
or the original
five 1970s instruments.

1518
01:19:28,534 --> 01:19:30,133
That's not even a trade-off.

1519
01:19:30,133 --> 01:19:31,968
The science capabilities
of these instruments

1520
01:19:31,968 --> 01:19:34,200
we have up there right now
and the ones we're going

1521
01:19:34,200 --> 01:19:36,467
to launch
are orders of magnitude greater

1522
01:19:36,467 --> 01:19:39,667
than the old technology
we had originally launched with.

1523
01:19:39,667 --> 01:19:41,334
You've got to keep in mind

1524
01:19:41,334 --> 01:19:43,234
the reason there's a renaissance
in astronomy

1525
01:19:43,234 --> 01:19:45,801
is because there's been
a renaissance in technology,

1526
01:19:45,801 --> 01:19:47,234
not just in computer technology

1527
01:19:47,234 --> 01:19:49,901
but
in detection technology, etc.

1528
01:19:49,901 --> 01:19:52,734
The instruments we're flying now
produce reams of data ...

1529
01:19:52,734 --> 01:19:54,100
If you remember John's chart

1530
01:19:54,100 --> 01:19:55,300
where we're now collecting ...
What is it?

1531
01:19:55,300 --> 01:19:57,801
Eleven times the amount
of science data

1532
01:19:57,801 --> 01:19:59,601
that we did in the early days?

1533
01:19:59,601 --> 01:20:02,667
So just saying we had five
in the early days

1534
01:20:02,667 --> 01:20:05,901
and we only have two now
is totally meaningless.

1535
01:20:05,901 --> 01:20:09,000
-Well, another way to address
the question is to look

1536
01:20:09,000 --> 01:20:11,801
at the oversubscription rate
of the number of astronomers

1537
01:20:11,801 --> 01:20:14,767
proposing per amount
of telescope time,

1538
01:20:14,767 --> 01:20:19,868
and there's anywhere from five
to seven times as many proposals

1539
01:20:19,868 --> 01:20:21,734
as there
is time on the telescope,

1540
01:20:21,734 --> 01:20:23,934
and that number
has only increased,

1541
01:20:23,934 --> 01:20:25,801
and I think that's also due to,

1542
01:20:25,801 --> 01:20:27,601
you know, the quality
of the instrumentation

1543
01:20:27,601 --> 01:20:29,133
and the quality of the science

1544
01:20:29,133 --> 01:20:32,834
that can be done
with a telescope.

1545
01:20:32,834 --> 01:20:35,801
-Okay, back you mentioned

1546
01:20:35,801 --> 01:20:37,367
the International
Ultraviolet Explorer.

1547
01:20:37,367 --> 01:20:40,434
Back in the 1970s, we were able
to launch a spacecraft

1548
01:20:40,434 --> 01:20:45,501
where a gyro switch could last
18 years and only failed

1549
01:20:45,501 --> 01:20:48,701
because they failed to be able
to survive the budgets.

1550
01:20:48,701 --> 01:20:50,901
Why could we build gyros
that were so good back then,

1551
01:20:50,901 --> 01:20:53,601
and we can't build gyros
as good now?

1552
01:20:53,601 --> 01:20:55,501
I realize of course Hubble
is much more precise,

1553
01:20:55,501 --> 01:20:58,601
and it's much more strenuous
in a lower-orbit environment,

1554
01:20:58,601 --> 01:21:01,100
but it seems strange
that expendable spacecraft

1555
01:21:01,100 --> 01:21:03,734
don't seem to have as many
problems with components

1556
01:21:03,734 --> 01:21:05,200
as Hubble does.

1557
01:21:05,200 --> 01:21:08,601
-Go ahead, John.
-Well, we used the IUE,

1558
01:21:08,601 --> 01:21:10,434
International
Ultraviolet Explorer,

1559
01:21:10,434 --> 01:21:13,267
as an example because
it's the same manufacturer

1560
01:21:13,267 --> 01:21:14,734
and the same class of gyro,

1561
01:21:14,734 --> 01:21:17,400
so what we were
trying to communicate

1562
01:21:17,400 --> 01:21:21,567
was that sometimes a gyro
can last for years and years,

1563
01:21:21,567 --> 01:21:23,767
and sometimes it'll fail early.

1564
01:21:23,767 --> 01:21:25,801
So that was the message
that we were trying to get,

1565
01:21:25,801 --> 01:21:27,100
and it's the same class,

1566
01:21:27,100 --> 01:21:31,300
and in fact those gyros
that were on IUE in fact

1567
01:21:31,300 --> 01:21:36,667
were improved to be quieter
and more accurate for Hubble.

1568
01:21:36,667 --> 01:21:38,300
-Yeah, and the improvements
that were made

1569
01:21:38,300 --> 01:21:40,033
to the gyros are unique.
Remember.

1570
01:21:40,033 --> 01:21:42,801
Phil, I'm sure you know
among all people

1571
01:21:42,801 --> 01:21:46,501
that IUE's requirements
on stability were factors of 10

1572
01:21:46,501 --> 01:21:50,234
or even 100 less stringent
than they are on Hubble.

1573
01:21:50,234 --> 01:21:52,234
These are the highest-tech gyros
ever built.

1574
01:21:52,234 --> 01:21:54,701
They're one of a kind,

1575
01:21:54,701 --> 01:21:58,334
and you don't run those often
on an assembly line.

1576
01:22:00,601 --> 01:22:03,734
-Okay, and I seem to remember
when Hubble was launched

1577
01:22:03,734 --> 01:22:05,167
there were comments
from astronomers

1578
01:22:05,167 --> 01:22:08,734
that it would be as much as of
an improvement for astronomy

1579
01:22:08,734 --> 01:22:11,934
over Galileo as Galileo
was over the human eye.

1580
01:22:11,934 --> 01:22:13,334
How much more of an improvement

1581
01:22:13,334 --> 01:22:15,100
does Hubble have
now versus Hubble

1582
01:22:15,100 --> 01:22:18,000
when it was launched in 1990
in terms of performance?

1583
01:22:18,000 --> 01:22:19,968
Is there any way
to quantify that?

1584
01:22:19,968 --> 01:22:23,467
-Well, again, the qualitative
statement is still correct.

1585
01:22:23,467 --> 01:22:26,968
I mean, the analogy was based
on the fact that the human eye

1586
01:22:26,968 --> 01:22:31,334
has about roughly 3 arcminutes
of resolution capability,

1587
01:22:31,334 --> 01:22:33,167
and Galileo's telescope
being crude

1588
01:22:33,167 --> 01:22:35,868
had roughly 10 times
better than that,

1589
01:22:35,868 --> 01:22:43,167
and Hubble's improvement over
a typical ground-based telescope

1590
01:22:43,167 --> 01:22:46,334
over the white field
is about a factor of 10.

1591
01:22:46,334 --> 01:22:48,701
The mirror, the capability
of the mirror on Hubble

1592
01:22:48,701 --> 01:22:51,167
is the same as it was in 1990.

1593
01:22:51,167 --> 01:22:55,300
The difference is the ability
to utilize the photons.

1594
01:22:55,300 --> 01:22:58,200
The light from that mirror
has increased dramatically

1595
01:22:58,200 --> 01:23:00,434
with the increases
in ray detectors,

1596
01:23:00,434 --> 01:23:02,467
infrared detectors, etc.

1597
01:23:02,467 --> 01:23:04,501
When we launched Hubble in 1990,

1598
01:23:04,501 --> 01:23:07,334
we had spectrographs
that had linear detectors.

1599
01:23:07,334 --> 01:23:11,000
They had 512 detectors
all individual.

1600
01:23:11,000 --> 01:23:15,200
Now we launch spectrographs
with 1,000-by-1,000 elements

1601
01:23:15,200 --> 01:23:18,000
or a million detection devices,

1602
01:23:18,000 --> 01:23:22,067
so the quantity of the science
has dramatically increased.

1603
01:23:22,067 --> 01:23:23,300
The quality of the science,

1604
01:23:23,300 --> 01:23:24,934
the quality of the capability
of Hubble

1605
01:23:24,934 --> 01:23:26,467
is the same as it was in 1990

1606
01:23:26,467 --> 01:23:28,901
in terms of its
basic capabilities.

1607
01:23:31,834 --> 01:23:34,567
-Okay, we'll come back here
to headquarters to wrap up.

1608
01:23:34,567 --> 01:23:37,000
First of all, we'll see if there
are any follow-up questions

1609
01:23:37,000 --> 01:23:41,300
from our reporters here,
and seeing none indicated

1610
01:23:41,300 --> 01:23:43,968
I think we'll go ahead
and wrap up the briefing,

1611
01:23:43,968 --> 01:23:47,567
and I want to bring
your attention to the screen.

1612
01:23:47,567 --> 01:23:50,734
We'll have a website
listed there.

1613
01:23:50,734 --> 01:23:53,901
This is the new Hubble website
for this mission.

1614
01:23:53,901 --> 01:23:55,534
Set your browsers
and check that out.

1615
01:23:55,534 --> 01:23:59,267
We have animation pictures,
interactive video.

1616
01:23:59,267 --> 01:24:01,934
We'll have daily mission updates
during the mission

1617
01:24:01,934 --> 01:24:04,067
and links
to the space-flight pages.

1618
01:24:04,067 --> 01:24:06,167
In addition to that,
we have all of our fact sheets

1619
01:24:06,167 --> 01:24:10,133
and the media guide
in that site,

1620
01:24:10,133 --> 01:24:12,701
so lots of good stuff
there for this mission.

1621
01:24:12,701 --> 01:24:15,234
Thank you for joining us today
and thank you, panelists,

1622
01:24:15,234 --> 01:24:17,033
and we're looking forward
to the mission,

1623
01:24:17,033 --> 01:24:19,501
and the rest of the briefing
is coming up later today.

1624
01:24:19,501 --> 01:24:22,100
Immediately following this
or shortly thereafter,

1625
01:24:22,100 --> 01:24:24,901
we will have today's video file
on NASA TV.