NASA is forging ahead with plans to repair the Hubble Space Telescope robotically, despite advice that astronauts could do the job faster, better and maybe cheaper. Early this month the space agency awarded a $154-million contract for robotic work to MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates of Richmond, Canada.
The contract covers building a robotic grapple arm to grab the space telescope, duplicating a double-armed robot called 鈥淒extre鈥� already built for the International Space Station, and adapting it to repair Hubble. NASA is aiming to launch the repair mission in December 2007.
Yet last month a panel at the US National Academy of Sciences warned that the required robotic technology was so immature that the likelihood of it succeeding on NASA鈥檚 tight timetable was 鈥渞emote鈥�. The panel said the shuttle could do the job sooner, astronauts can respond to unexpected events, and the risks are little more than those of other shuttle missions.
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A spokesman says NASA has not ruled out a shuttle mission, but is proceeding with plans to send a robot. But that could change if any fatal flaws emerge at a preliminary design review in March or a 鈥渃ritical鈥� review in September. However, the key factor may be whether Sean O鈥橩eefe鈥檚 successor as NASA chief administrator shares his adamant opposition to a shuttle mission.
