To continue:
How the scope would have been packaged into three launchers of approximately Ares V-size.
Two of the launchers examined. Note that this was from before the Ares V was kinda-sorta settled upon; these were CaLV concepts (Cargo Launch Vehicles).
A “map” of individual mirror segments. Hubble Space Telescope was one of the last great “monolithic” mirrors in astronomy; since then all the rage has been for adaptive multi-segment mirrors. This is done today in no small part to make a mirror that can be warped on a split-second timescale to adjust for atmospheric blurriness; but for the 30-meter scope it would be done largely to make the thing actually buildable. A large number of small segments are a lot easier to build than a small number of large segments… and vastly easier to launch. Over time the mirrors will get slowly sandblasted by micro (and sometimes not so micro) meteoroids; damaged segments could be relatively easily swapped out. Given that the goal was to have an observatory with a one-century lifespan, this would be a valuable feature.
Personally, I think it’s a good idea to devote as much effort as possible to scopes that see in the visible spectrum. Yes, Chandra and Spitzer (X-Ray and IR, respectively) turn in good science… but the public doesn’t care. If one of both of them went offline tomorrow, the public would go “meh.” But people care about Hubble, because it turns in gorgeous imagery of the universe as humans could actually see it (assuming, of course, that humans could tweak the brightness, contrast and hue functions of their eyeballs). Similarly, look at the Galileo drop-probe into Jupiter, and the Cassini Huygens drop-probe to Titan. Huygens had a few tiny, pathetic little webcams on it. And the public actually paid attention, watching the images (and, later, video) of Huygens coming in to a splat on the muddy surface of Titan. But the Jupiter probe? Nobody cared, because there was nothing to see. Bah.
8 Responses to “More 30-meter space telescope images”
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in 2004 Huygens picture were in demand at DLR in Darmstadt, Germany
while the VIP stare on monitors with first picture of Titan surface
the reporters start to thrash each other for first print-out and digital copys…
for 2009 ESA Planck (mikrowave) and ESA Herschel ( far infrared telescope)
nobody care about them in media, not even ESA it self !
or do you know EXOSAT, ISO, IUE ? all greath ESA space telescopes unknow to public!
the next DLR “Cagefight” for reporters gona be, on 10 November 2014
wenn the ESA Philae lander will attempt to land on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.
NASA, ESA, the Japanese, and maybe the Russians are working on plans to do a cooperation mission to Jupiter with a potential lander for Europa. I’d rather see them go back to Titan. Europa has that thick ice crust that you’ll have to get through before getting to the interesting part: the ocean. To explore that you’ll need an ROV that can be carried through space and operated from Earth.
Titan, on the other hand, is easier to land on and operate in. We could drop a mini-rover for land, a boat for the lakes, or a balloon to drift around the world.
Besides, if humans do eventually leave the cradle called Earth we’ll eventually get out to Titan before Europa. 🙂
If humans ever get to Europa, they’d better get deep under the ice and *fast.* Due to Jupiters magnetic fields, Europa is dangerously radioactive. Several times more, IIRC, than the Van Allen belts around Earth.
Io is even worse. Best description I’ve heard is that it would be like living in a cyclotron. About the only moon that would be safe is probably Callisto since its outside the Van Allen belts.
“But people care about Hubble, because it turns in gorgeous imagery of the universe as humans could actually see it”
x2 Imagine if they incorporated all this data into the Moon feature on Google Earth
http://www.moonviews.com/archives/2011/03/lunar_reconnaissance_orbiter_d_1.html
then did something similar with the rest of the planets.
Thank you so much for the information. These structures are about as Dandridge Cole as it will get. Still something to shoot for.
on tps remark on Titan and jupiter moon Europa
ESA plans join venture mission to Jupiter and Saturn
Laplace aka Europa Jupiter System Mission
with two space probe (and maybe a russian lander for Europa)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europa_Jupiter_System_Mission
TandEM aka Titan Saturn System Mission
Orbiter with two Titan exploration probes, a ballon and a boat for methan lake.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titan_Saturn_System_Mission
Laplace has one big problem, money
ESA has two other program in planning:
the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna
the International X-ray Observatory
in 2013 ESA will take only ONE of the three.
While on the Europa topic. If Slam might have new life as a gas giant flyer, perhaps this could be an ice moon glider: http://up-ship.com/blog/blog/?p=9286
I think the trick is to have this ‘follow’ an asteroid that strikes the target zone at an angle, to serve as an icebreaker of sorts. A harder way would have Orion follow said comet or asteroid down. The pusher plate is released as a great anchor, and the legs are attached to nanocables. Orion floats to below the freezing line, so it won’t be crushed. After everything freezes over again, a second orion lands directly over the first, with the bomb chute now serving as a drillport.
Primative, rugged equipment is used, in case this doesn’t work or is overwhelmed:
http://www.tethers.com/HiVOLT.html
This way, two Orions are linked to an Europa base. Future landers then can be quite small.