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Goodbye, Hubble.

Souper

By Souper
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Frozen_Heart

Frozen_Heart

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That would be a hell of an expensive mission just for "target practice". Dragon V1 doesn't dock anyway, it berths. Dragon V2 will dock automatically, so crew practice is irrelevant. It's nothing that can't be simulated on computer.

However, that's not a bad idea for the disposal mission. It might well be cheaper to launch a Dragon V2 to deorbit Hubble than to design and build a dedicated automatic vehicle to do the job. Hubble is at an altitude 5 times higher than the ISS, so that Dragon would have to be stripped down to save weight and probably unmanned. It might be a good way to flight test a reused vehicle.

Could the Dragon launch on the Falcon Heavy if the Falcon 9 can't send it that high?

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NovaSilisko

NovaSilisko

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Let's avoid getting into lego rocketry here...

Dragon V2 will use a different docking adapter than what was put on Hubble. AFAIK, Hubble has a passive iLIDS-based ring on its rear end, while during the development of commercial crew, the decision was made to switch from iLIDS to the SIMAC design from Boeing, which both commercial crew vehicles will use. I'm not sure if either of them even could dock with hubble.

Also, Nibb31, Hubble is not five times higher than the ISS. I don't know where that number came from. The ISS is in a roughly 410 km circular orbit, and Hubble is in a 550 km circular orbit.

Edited by NovaSilisko
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NovaSilisko

NovaSilisko

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I was going to sell them some "Authentic Hubble tin foil"... you spoilt my plan. :(

Funny story, one of the doctors at the place I went to get my glasses has a room set up that's full of space memorabilia, including a fragment of foil from Hubble, apparently brought down during the last servicing mission. As well as several meteorites and model spacecraft.

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Technical Ben

Technical Ben

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Funny story, one of the doctors at the place I went to get my glasses has a room set up that's full of space memorabilia, including a fragment of foil from Hubble, apparently brought down during the last servicing mission. As well as several meteorites and model spacecraft.

Nice. I'd be really interested to see some meteorites. Stuff really from outer space. :)

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Bill Phil

Bill Phil

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Nice. I'd be really interested to see some meteorites. Stuff really from outer space. :)

Like the Earth? It's a big rock...

Just kidding. ;)

That would be cool though...

I remember seeing a few burn up a while back... Nice...

And then the Gemini Meteorites started falling, and I saw ONE! Only one! And everyone around me kept pointing them out but by the time I looked up they were gone... :(

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dryer_lint

dryer_lint

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IMHO, we should let it burn. Graveyard orbits, while cool, don't really solve the Kessler syndrome problems. Besides, what we do with corpses of famous humans? We burn them! This is the funeral HST deserves!

This!

Same thing with the ISS. When it reenters, let's attach some remote cameras to it and get the coolest footage ever.

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Kryten

Kryten

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However, that's not a bad idea for the disposal mission. It might well be cheaper to launch a Dragon V2 to deorbit Hubble than to design and build a dedicated automatic vehicle to do the job. Hubble is at an altitude 5 times higher than the ISS, so that Dragon would have to be stripped down to save weight and probably unmanned. It might be a good way to flight test a reused vehicle.

One of the extra-fuel Progress variants would do the job nicely, although it'd need integration of a new docking system.

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mrrpamplemousse

mrrpamplemousse

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This!

Same thing with the ISS. When it reenters, let's attach some remote cameras to it and get the coolest footage ever.

How will we get any footage of that? Isn't the plasma created by the heat and friction supposed to create radio interferences? I can't find anything that confirm this so I might as well be wrong.

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