NASA Is Studying a Private Mission to Boost Hubble's Orbit. Is It Worth the Risk?

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November 03, 2022

Dear Reader, This week, we're wondering what comes next for the Hubble Space Telescope. Our lead story examines a recent proposal for a private mission to rendezvous with the aging observatory in low-Earth orbit to give it a new lease on life. Hubble's orbit is slowly decaying, and NASA has projected a 50 percent chance the telescope will burn up in Earth's atmosphere in 2037 without intervention to raise its altitude. But visiting Hubble to save it carries risks as well, and the observatory could be laid low by hardware failures long before a fiery atmospheric re-entry occurs. Is a rescue mission to Hubble worth the risk? Elsewhere, we have stories on powerful Marsquakes, China's nearly-complete space station, the science at stake in the upcoming U.S. midterm elections, and more. Enjoy!

Lee Billings, Senior Editor, Space & Physics @LeeBillings

Astronomy NASA Is Studying a Private Mission to Boost Hubble's Orbit. Is It Worth the Risk? SpaceX and the entrepreneur Jared Isaacman are pursuing a plan to rescue the iconic Hubble Space Telescope from a fiery plunge into Earth's atmosphere By Irene Klotz

Space Exploration China's Space Station Is Almost Complete--How Will Scientists Use It? China's Tiangong orbital outpost will host more than 1,000 experiments, some of which will augment results from the International Space Station By Smriti Mallapaty,Nature magazine

Planetary Science Dying NASA Spacecraft Records Epic 'Marsquakes' As the InSight lander reports the largest-ever meteorite strikes on Mars, scientists wish it a fond farewell By Alexandra Witze,Nature magazine

Sponsor Content Provided by UAE UAE and US partner to launch historic moon mission this month The first Arab mission to the moon is happening this month. Through UAE-US collaboration, the Emirates Lunar Mission will launch the Rashid Rover on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from the Kennedy Space Center this month. Discover more.

Extraterrestrial Life Life on Mars May Have Been Its Own Worst Enemy A new study suggests that billions of years ago microbes may have thrived on Mars before succumbing to freezing temperatures of their own making By Allison Gasparini

Evolution Geologic Activity Lets Microbes Mingle Deep Underground Tiny subterranean cracks can upend aquifer microbes' ecology By Joanna Thompson

Basic Chemistry In a First, Scientists See How Water Stores Extra Protons Scientists capture complex structure in a molecule-deep pool of ice By Lars Fischer,Fionna M. D. Samuels

Policy The Most Urgent Science, Health and Climate Issues in the 2022 Midterm Elections The midterm elections have high stakes for issues such as abortion rights, pandemic funding, climate change and other fundamental policies By Andrea Thompson,Tanya Lewis,Sophie Bushwick

Climate Change Report on California Climate Impacts 'Paints a Pretty Grim Picture' California is experiencing more wildfires, illness and drought as the impacts of climate change accelerate By Anne C. Mulkern,E&E News

FROM THE STORE Special Editions Volume 31, Issue 5s

QUOTE OF THE DAY "Bottom line is, first do no harm. We've got a great observatory up there now. The thing I learned more than anything going to Hubble is: Don't rush. Slow and steady wins the race."" Scott Altman, former NASA astronaut and Hubble Space Telescope servicer

FROM THE ARCHIVE Hubble's Repairman Reflects on the Telescope's Legacy Twenty-five years ago, on April 24, 1990, the Hubble Space Telescope soared into orbit. Since then, its great discoveries have been legion, and the story of how it became the most successful and productive astronomical observatory in human history is destined to become legendary By Lee Billings | April 24, 2015

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