Up Comming hubble Service Mission

The up comming STS-125 mission to service the hubble has some butterfies stiring within me: let me explain why and see what you ATS readers think.

First the article is here I am referring to:
www.space.com...

and here about the "surgery to be preformed"
www.nasa.gov...

This has so many risk factors envolved...

1.) No haven of ISS incase of heat shield damage or other system failure
2.) 320nm height of orbit is maxium of shuttle capability: fuel consuption real issue [OMS 1/2]

THE BIG FACTOR IS BELOW:

3.) Stagged for the time a Second rescue shuttle will be readied for emergency launch on pad 39-A. a first for history that wo Shuttles stand preped and ready to launch at the same time.

4.) Many space walks in short amount of time, a real fatigue on the crew

$1 Billion price tag is worth it to me for sure


I think its a real risk, two shuttles being OPF'd and fitted to launch at the same time.


what are your thoughts????

[edit my spelling suks]

[edit on 25-7-2008 by theability]

There are certainly risks, but given the precautions they're taking I don't think it's too much riskier than a regular ISS mission. ISS construction missions are also spacewalk-intensive, over a longer timeframe of course. Fuel isn't that big of a concern imho - the original deployment mission had to get that high while towing the entire telescope to orbit. The payload for this mission will probably be a little lighter than that, so they should have a little bit more room to spare. To me one of the biggest concerns for any shuttle mission is the risk of an abort at launch. If a TAL or AOA abort occurs there will not be any time to do anything about any TPS damage that may have occured, and late TAL aborts experience greater aerodynamic heating than a nominal re-entry, putting the vehicle at greater risk of damage or breakup if there is any significant heat shield damage.

[edit on 25-7-2008 by ngchunter]

I hope that things go well, I know they have picked repeat veterans to return to the Hubble, I guess in lou of all the risk, is another amazing discover in the future that this telescope will make!