EDITORIAL
It's premature to write off the Hubble

For more than a decade, the Hubble Space Telescope has helped astronomers understand some of the greatest mysteries of the universe, including the birth and death of stars.

And so it's hardly surprisingly that NASA's decision in January to cancel a mission to upgrade the Hubble's equipment in the lingering wake of the 2003 Columbia disaster — essentially allowing it to die a slow death in the next three to four years — has spurred extraordinary opposition.

Hubble huggers have assembled an arsenal that includes a savethehubble.org Web site with nearly 30,000 signatures on its electronic petition.

Some charge that the Hubble is being sacrificed for President Bush's expensive plans for manned missions to Mars and the moon in his quest for "big ideas."

A shuttle mission costs several hundred million dollars.

We don't know about the Bush administration's role, but what we do know is that after orbiting 375 miles above Earth for 14 years, the space-based telescope seems too young to retire.

Indeed, Hawai'i astronomers say the Hubble has been improving with age, becoming more powerful with each visit to the telescope by space shuttle astronauts for repairs and upgrades, according to an article by Advertiser Big Island reporter Kevin Dayton.

Nonetheless, NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe says the safety rules approved by Congress and NASA after the destruction of the Columbia space shuttle have made a repair mission virtually impossible.

"Because we are committed to complying with the safety recommendations of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board, I decided two months ago to cancel the final mission to maintain and repair the Hubble space telescope," O'Keefe said.

We understand the need to balance science and safety. However, space exploration invariably involves risks that astronauts and scientists decide are worth taking for the greater good.

Clearly, the benefits outweigh the risks for a series of planned shuttle missions to the International Space Station. Why not the Hubble?

We hope that a full independent review will throw light on the true risks and benefits of servicing the Hubble, because we'd hate to see the most important astronomical probe since Galileo's exploration of the heavens sacrificed to politics or budget concerns.