Re: Another 8 years to go anyway.
The problem is: this decision - which has been made - will have nothing to do with serious space development; or science; or even common sense... it's simply politically expedient to sacrifice Hubble to get all of those expensive NGST contracts funded without delay. They did exactly the same with Compton; & if some people get their way, Cassini will be shut down early to help justify a Titan mission.
Robert