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When age finally caught up with Hubble
-- it was designed to last 10 to 15 years -- NASA first decided the telescope would just have to slowly die. An astronaut repair mission was deemed too risky during the time period shortly after the 2003 Columbia shuttle disaster, which claimed seven astronauts. But ultimately, public opinion and politicians persuaded NASA to change its mind. Sentiment and the promise of more stunning images beat out calculations of risk and cost. "It has truly become an icon of American life," said Weiler, the public face of Hubble since its launch. While the public loves Hubble from afar, those who know it up close find it has a personality. "It's almost impossible not to start feeling like Hubble is a living being," said astronaut John Grunsfeld who has repaired the telescope twice already and is slated to get under Hubble's hood a third time. "It's just another satellite, but once you've worked in the program and are smitten with it, it is very easy to start adding personality to Hubble. "I do feel like ... I'm going to visit an old friend that I haven't seen in a long time that will be a little bit weathered, a little bit older," Grunsfeld said in a news conference last fall. NASA hasn't visited Hubble for seven years and is expecting many signs of wear and tear, including holes from space junk. The telescope has been anything but cheap. NASA thought it could build Hubble for $300 million, but it actually cost more than five times that. With all the fixes and upgrades and decades of use, the total cost will be close to $10 billion by the time it dies, but no one is complaining about that pricetag, Weiler said. Astronomer Livio said certain pictures remind him of abstract paintings. The colors
-- added in once they reach the ground because the cameras only shoot black-and-white
-- can be garish. But then so is the universe. "This is art on a grand scale," astronomer Summers said. ___ On the Net: The Hubble Space Telescope site: http://hubblesite.org/
[Associated
Press;
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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