Hubble Origins Probe
Encyclopedia
The Hubble Origins Probe (HOP) is an orbital telescope proposed by an international team led by Johns Hopkins University
astronomers. The proposed telescope would make use of designs from the Hubble Space Telescope
(HST), and instruments that were intended for the planned 4th HST servicing mission, as well as a new very wide field imager, to enhance the original science mission of the HST. The HOP would use a much lighter, unaberrated
mirror and optical telescope assembly. Building on work done for the HST would decrease risks, cost and development time for the new project. The HOP was proposed when rising estimated cost to service the HST, and the trouble surrounding the Space Shuttle
flights, led to cancellation of the servicing mission to the HST.
If approved, it is expected to be ready for launch by the end of 2010 and to cost from 700M to 1B U.S. dollars. The probe would use an Atlas V rocket or similar launch vehicle. It would also incorporate new technology into its design to reduce its weight with respect to the original. The mission would be a one time five-year run and would receive no servicing from the Space Shuttle. The mission is still being debated and lacks any funding
. Critics argue that the money would be better spent on a modern cost-effective space telescope design like the JWST rather than re-using the outdated design of Hubble. It may never be built.
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
astronomers. The proposed telescope would make use of designs from the Hubble Space Telescope
Hubble Space Telescope
The Hubble Space Telescope is a space telescope that was carried into orbit by a Space Shuttle in 1990 and remains in operation. A 2.4 meter aperture telescope in low Earth orbit, Hubble's four main instruments observe in the near ultraviolet, visible, and near infrared...
(HST), and instruments that were intended for the planned 4th HST servicing mission, as well as a new very wide field imager, to enhance the original science mission of the HST. The HOP would use a much lighter, unaberrated
Aberration in optical systems
Aberrations are departures of the performance of an optical system from the predictions of paraxial optics. Aberration leads to blurring of the image produced by an image-forming optical system. It occurs when light from one point of an object after transmission through the system does not converge...
mirror and optical telescope assembly. Building on work done for the HST would decrease risks, cost and development time for the new project. The HOP was proposed when rising estimated cost to service the HST, and the trouble surrounding the Space Shuttle
Space Shuttle
The Space Shuttle was a manned orbital rocket and spacecraft system operated by NASA on 135 missions from 1981 to 2011. The system combined rocket launch, orbital spacecraft, and re-entry spaceplane with modular add-ons...
flights, led to cancellation of the servicing mission to the HST.
If approved, it is expected to be ready for launch by the end of 2010 and to cost from 700M to 1B U.S. dollars. The probe would use an Atlas V rocket or similar launch vehicle. It would also incorporate new technology into its design to reduce its weight with respect to the original. The mission would be a one time five-year run and would receive no servicing from the Space Shuttle. The mission is still being debated and lacks any funding
Funding
Funding is the act of providing resources, usually in form of money , or other values such as effort or time , for a project, a person, a business or any other private or public institutions...
. Critics argue that the money would be better spent on a modern cost-effective space telescope design like the JWST rather than re-using the outdated design of Hubble. It may never be built.