Space/Science — HabitableZone

Space/Science » in reply to re: They can only control the orientation if the gyros hold out

re: They can only control the orientation if the gyros hold out
Larry J — (archived)

I've read a little bit about the idea of attaching some form of space tug to the HST to either control the reentry or boost it to a higher orbit. Assuming the tug has sufficient attitude control, it might be able to extend the HST's operational life for several years. This sounds pretty good to me, assuming it doesn't cost an outrageous amount to develop the tug. I've seen some Boeing commercials advertising their work on a space tug but I don't know anything about the status of the project.

The devil is in the details. If you're planning on deorbiting the HST, then it doesn't matter very much about what type of propulsion system you use. However, if the goal is to boost the orbit for later repair or to extend the operational life, then concerns about thruster spew contaiminating the mirrors are very real. Perhaps some form of ion propulsion would work. There might be some center of gravity issues with adding a tug to the HST that might make it difficult to maintain pointing accuracy.

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