Russian Spacecraft Fails to Raise ISS to Designated Orbit
"According to the Russian Mission Control Centre, the ISS fell by almost eight kilometers since the previous orbit adjustment at the end of September. Specialists have said increased solar activity is to blame."
The Looming Death of Hubble
"What will happen during the next three to four years, which is about how long engineers think HST has left, probably will be decided in the next year. The decision will be made in the halls of Congress, in the offices of NASA, and in other scientific institutions. And most important, the decision will be informed by the national outcry from millions of Americans who love astronomy and the space telescope that serves them."
Forgive me for being skeptical about the importance of the outcry of millions of astronomy-loving Americans. In my experience, the outcry of millions of Americans -- indeed, the outcry of millions of people all over the world -- doesn't mean a damned thing. And the dissent I have in mind was about nothing less than the brazenly (and admittedly) illegal military invasion of another country for reasons that proved to be fabrications.
As W himself remarked about the power of civil protest, "It's irrelevant." If human lives matter so little, who's left to care about mind-stumping images from deep-space?
The Hubble's future, I fear, has already been decided. But I'm not ready to give up.
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