The illustrious Hubble Space Telescope will eventually re-enter Earth’s atmosphere and be destroyed – or so I understand. Could it be returned to Earth safely and put in a museum? If so, what would be the cheapest way to do it?
• The Hubble design requirements dictated that the telescope be capable of surviving a return trip to Earth via the space shuttle. This was a driving factor in some of the design considerations, particularly regarding the 800-kilogram primary mirror and its mounts.
If someone had the means to capture the telescope and return it to Earth, they might decide to jettison the five science instruments (360 kilograms or so each) and the three fine guidance sensors at 250 kilograms each, as well as some of the hardware such as inertia wheels, gyros and electronics. The solar panels could, I believe, also be jettisoned. This weight reduction should ease the problem.
Sam Palasciano, Retired engineer, Oceanside, California, US
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Article amended on 8 August 2017: We corrected the mass of the primary mirror.
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