posted October 27, 2006 01:38 PM               

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NASA Sets Hubble Servicing Mission Decision Announcement

NASA Administrator Michael Griffin will announce on Tuesday, Oct. 31, a decision on a space shuttle mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope. The announcement is scheduled for 10 a.m. EST during an agency-wide employee meeting from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. The event will be live on NASA TV and www.nasa.gov

A news conference will follow at Goddard; also broadcast live on NASA TV at 12:45 p.m. Questions from reporters will be taken from NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla., Johnson Space Center, Houston, and NASA Headquarters.

Next week's decision follows a final evaluation meeting at NASA Headquarters Friday, where senior agency officials presented their recommendations to Griffin on the feasibility of a servicing mission.

If the decision is made to go ahead with a servicing mission, NASA will hold several other media events on Tuesday, Oct. 31 (all times Eastern):

2:30 p.m. News conference with the astronauts who would carry out the mission from Johnson; broadcast live on NASA TV. Questions from reporters will be taken from Goddard, Kennedy and NASA Headquarters.

3:30 to 5 p.m. Media interview opportunities on NASA TV. Hubble Space Telescope experts will be available for satellite interviews. The specific experts are TBD.

5 to 7 p.m. Astronaut media interview opportunities on NASA TV. Certain servicing crew members will be available for satellite interviews. The specific astronauts are TBD.

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posted October 27, 2006 03:46 PM               

I'm guessing they will schedule a servicing mission, based on the success of the past two launches. The fact they scheduled tentative follow-up press conferences is a good sign too. If they were nixing the servicing mission, I doubt the follow-up conferences would have been scheduled.

posted October 27, 2006 06:10 PM               

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Originally posted by mjanovec:
Any guesses on what the decision will be?

I'm guessing they will schedule a servicing mission, based on the success of the past two launches. The fact they scheduled tentative follow-up press conferences is a good sign too. If they were nixing the servicing mission, I doubt the follow-up conferences would have been scheduled.

At least, I'm hoping I'm right!

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You're exactly on my line of thinking. I concur.

posted October 27, 2006 06:18 PM               

There is a well written review of the mission on Spaceflight Now by Bill Harwood.

posted October 28, 2006 03:44 PM               

I sincerely hope that Michael Griffin makes the right decision about hubble. In my space memorbilia collection is the 1st Servicing Mission for HST MEDIA REFERENCE GUIDE which makes for very interesting reading. Plus it is signed by a certain Astronaut who knows more about the design and servicing of this telescope, in fact he helped to design it.

The HST is more valueable to keep going-it gives us a look into the universe and beyond, such great pictures have been produced from it being there in outer space.

My vote is for a further service even if the solar panels, the gyroscope system, and certain Astronuats who are not retired have the knowledge to do an EVA. A new planetary camera was installed recently.

My HST guide makes very interesting reading. so good luck with hubble. plus I have other items to read on repairs to HST

best wishes from
Brenda