this post was submitted on 03 Dec 2025
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Oh wow. I assumed the Hubble was like in a Lagrange point or something, not LEO
Itβs low enough orbit that a space shuttle mission went to repair it shortly after it was launched.
It was launched by Discovery and serviced by Shuttle missions five times. The last was in 2009.
Yep, that's where the shuttle could reach it.
Hubble had 5 servicing missions from the Shuttle before it's retirement. The Shuttle was only capable of LEO missions.
There's research into the possibility of using something like Crew Dragon for additional maintenance missions to extend it's service life even further.
Can we use it to focus/reflect sunlight onto a specific spot, then have it turn on and off again a lot in a little planetary rave?
Slightly less research has been done to investigate that possibility, I'll get back to you.
you know all those uranus jokes had me thinking space people were cool. i gotta downgrade all astronomers one point just for nobody researching that
At the time of Hubble's launch there was no vehicle capable of lifting that mass to a Lagrange point. Also, it would have been way more expensive, had less operational life and any servicing mission been impossible.
That would be JWST orbiting arround lagrange pt. 2, (well, there's been lots of observatories and stuff, but it's the current famous one)
Yeah, it's a little weird that it's in Leo. Seems like further out would be a better choice.
It would be higher up if we built it today.