[diamondgeezer]

End of an era...

__________________
Diamond Geezer studied geology at the University of Leicester

[Unknown Target]

At least they're brining it down, not burning it up That way we'll probably see it in a museum somewhere.

[Flipside]

Well, apparently there is a way of Networking optical telescopes like they do with Radio ones, though I'm not sure of the details.

The European Space Agency wants to send about 12 special optical telescopes in orbit between the Earth and the Moon, once in position, they'll give the same depth of vision as a single reflector about 1/3 diameter of the moon

That should give us a nice look at some of the nearby systems

[Fineus]

Seems like one step forward, two steps back for NASA though...

[InfernoGod]

Just think, in 2380, some HLP hybrid (or maybe this HLP) will be reading an article titled "End of an Era", about the Aquitaine's decomissioning.

[Flipside]

Well, the fact is that for NASA, the money simply isn't there any more, it's all being spent on other concerns. ESA, however, doesn't have the same drain on it's funds, in fact, not meaning to sound cruel, but seeing NASA falter has, if anything, strengthened the ESA's position.

[vyper]

@ InfernoGod

But really this is sad.

[Ghostavo]

It was good while it lasted, too bad there isn't any other optical telescope in orbit.

[Flipside]

It is sad, but let's face it, poor Hubble had been more or less relegated into a rather expensive way of putting nice pictures on the NASA Website.

I'm sorry to see it being put to pasture, but it seems we are more concerned with facing our satellites inwards at the moment.

I suspect it won't be long till we get curious enough to try something else though

[Rictor]

They should at least get some fun out of it. Crash it into the ocean, and open a betting pool as to where it will land. The person with the nearest guess gets to keep the debris, whih ought to be worth a mint.

or something..

[Fineus]

I rather hope you're right, Flipside, as it does seem we've spent a lot more on war and generally making things worse for ourselves - rather than looking outwards and expanding.

I wish I'd been alive in the days of Armstrong and Gagarin.... back when we really were looking outwards to the stars.

[vyper]

And pointing cold-bringers at each other...

[Flipside]

As an aside, has anyone ever read the Asimov Foundation novels? Theres a curious similarity here.

NASA has always been a very large, powerful and mostly well-funded organisation. It's specialists spread out over a large area.

The ESA has always been much smaller and less well funded, however, all it's specialists were focussed in a smaller area.

The one thing the ESA had to learn to do was use as little resources as possible without losing quality. NASA didn't have such a weight on it to do so.

Now that the time of 'limitless' funds and resources is drawing to a close, the lessons ESA learnt are serving them far better at the moment Physco-history in action

[Ford Prefect]

I say we offer to pay for it to stay up. We can beat up all the people who want another season of Enterprise and take their money, too.

[Deepblue]

I thought this had been announced a while back... around the same time Columbia burned up.

[Corsair]

I only approve of this if it goes to funding a moon/Mars program. Because by then I will be the proper age and will be able to go.

[WMCoolmon]

Originally posted by Flipside
As an aside, has anyone ever read the Asimov Foundation novels? Theres a curious similarity here.

Actually, I'm reminded of his Elijah Bailey robot novels moreso. You've got the Earthers, who were once the center of humanity, who made a big push into space. Then they became agoraphobic and started to try and stop thinking about space and the spacers.

Then you've got the spacers, who kept on pushing outwards and developing new tech, until they became stagnant and settled.

Of course, the analogy becomes pretty unpleasant if you carry it another step forward...

For some reason humanity seems to have entered a very depressive period of time.

[Clave]

It's all down to money - and competition.  The Cold War Space Race pushed things along much faster than they would have progressed naturally.  Now there is no USSR, and big economies like the US are overdrawn, priorities have changed...