HAS 'HUBBLE' HELPED? I was,personally, displeased to learn that our space telescope, following a plan,whereby it was to be declared as being “obsolete” was to discarded. The “Hubble” would not be either serviced nor repaired The plan, it appears, some insist politically tainted, would have had us simply for us to just ignore it; refuse to do repair and modernization work and servicing; to allow it to fade ...cease to be of normal, natural causes? .
Is that a proper way by which we express gratitude to the men and women who labored hard and long to bring a worthy telescope?
I do not know enough about what is most valued which is needed go advance our overall space programs, but it would seem logical and right that the photographic assistance Hubble has provided so abundantly concerning proper, probed and proven pathways in space would be of first class importance to the overall space programming.ot
This eliminate “Hubble” effort was also set forth as being a great “economy” measure, as well. I cannot concur with that point either.
The scary part is that something very much like it has happened before. Just a decades or so ago monster helicopters lugged long prefabbed steel girders from a railroad siding in Harrisonburg, Virginia across the Appalachian Mountain range to a town named Sugar Grove, West Virginia. It was there they were constructing what was claimed to be the world's largest radio telescope .
It was well on its way. Everyone said it was going major attraction. Construction work was proceeding well, and workers from the site were justly proud of is assured future.
Then, seemingly without warning we were told the entire project had been canceled! Ump-teen millions of dollars had been expended. Someone in the nation's capital had decided that all radio telescopes were no longer worth building.
With the next year,or sooner, the same government was building entire fields of radio telescopes on land not far from Sugar Grove at Greenbank, West Virginia. It is functioning well. The Sugar Grove facility was modified and is now a “Listening Post” - serving as D.C's “ears” worldwide and the site is acclaimed as being at “the quietest spot in the nation.”
Who is it, I wonder who hates telescopes so much? First down with the world's largest radio scope; now Hubble!
Makes you wonder at times, doesn't it?
Andrew McCaskey Sr. amccsr@adelphia.net 12-18-06 [c-405wds]
