Scientists, Public Fighting to Keep Telescope Alive

Feb. 2, 2004 — -- Perched about 375 miles above Earth, a powerful eye has tracked everything from the speed of our expanding universe to the weather on Mars to the presence of a mysterious force known as dark energy.

Now people are unwilling to let go of its lens. A torrent of protest from the public and scientific community has led NASA's chief Sean O'Keefe to review his decision to effectively cut Hubble's lifespan by five to six years by canceling an upcoming service mission.

The outcry is testament to the telescope's years of discovery, and perhaps, more importantly, to the stream of tantalizing space images it has produced for a rapt public.

"The scientific community is very upset, the public is very upset," said Bruce Margon, associate director for science at the Space Telescope Science Institute. "It just goes to show you have to list public science literacy as one of Hubble's best achievements."

O'Keefe's announced on Jan. 16 that the agency was canceling a 2005 shuttle mission to provide the Hubble Space Telescope with fresh batteries and gyroscopes — a trip that would have extended its operating life another five to six years.

Since then people have sent 400 e-mails every day to protest the move. Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., sent a joint letter of protest from all members of Congress from Maryland, where the telescope's operations are based. And scientists working on the project have been scrambling to find a way to salvage the telescope without the service mission.

All that ruckus led O'Keefe to finally concede and reassess his decision on Thursday by asking retired Adm. Harold Gehman, who chaired the independent board that investigated the Columbia disaster, for his thoughts on the matter.