Hobble Space Telescope

1986/10/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Astronautika

class="art-text" valign="top">

Despite the Challenger crash on 28 January, the NASA space program has been interrupted, teams working on the preparation of the Hobble space telescope are working hard. At this point a long series of tests is going on so that everything is in a position to work properly when it is going to be launched into space.

Last February, engineers introduced the space telescope into an acoustic chamber. On this occasion it was bombarded by noise and vibration, with the intention of simulating what will suffer when landing.

He then worked for forty days inside a vacuum thermal chamber, simulating the conditions of space. The telescope was given orders to see how it acted in its working conditions.

According to Ricardo Giacconi of the Institute of Science of the Space Telescope, the DAP will put the telescope in space as soon as it shows that the launcher is safe.

NASA assures us that we will have priority in NASA programs.

However, there are at least three other priorities: Flight to control the innovations introduced in the launcher after the Challenger accident, US Defense Minister missions and launch of a communications satellite that will improve NASA communications. Therefore, the space telescope could take its place on the fourth or fifth flight.