Building onto the question sparked by my previous post on space telescopes, "Why aren't there more space telescopes dotting our cosmic landscape?" 🌌
The pursuit of groundbreaking discoveries among the stars is undeniably exciting, but it carries a substantial price tag, serving as a formidable barrier to transitioning a major portion of our observational astronomy to space. The recent triumph of the James Webb Space Telescope underscores not only the wonders of space exploration but also the financial hurdles it entails. The primary culprits behind these challenges are twofold.
Firstly, constructing these marvels demands significant resources, ranging from cutting-edge technology to precise engineering across optics, payloads, mechanical subsystems, communication subsystems, and the On-Board Computers (OBCs) responsible for orchestrating it all. Secondly, the other pressing constraint arises in fitting these substantial structures within a payload fairing and launching them beyond the atmosphere, wherein weight determines the launch vehicle and, consequently, the launch cost. Heavy structures lead to inflated launch costs. 📈
Beyond financial constraints, there's also the inherent risk of failure during launch, especially considering that many telescopes, unlike the Hubble, are non-maintainable post-launch, making the investment susceptible to potential void.
Nevertheless, the increasing interest in space technologies and innovative ideas presents promising strategies to drop these costs by exploring advancements in technology, launch capabilities, mirror materials, adaptive optics, and orbital considerations. While these strategies offer hope for the future, the reality remains that building large space telescopes remains a complex and costly endeavour.
Yet, if our goal is to make space telescopes and their data more accessible, a potential solution could lie in tailoring them for mission-specific objectives, reducing their size, and employing various deployment or docking methods to gradually unveil the beauty of the cosmos.
As we celebrate and acknowledge the accomplishments of current instruments, the pursuit of more accessible and cost-effective solutions remains a frontier in the cosmic journey. In my next post, I'll try to delve into ways of designing and launching space telescopes more efficiently and cost-effectively being undertaken by numerous research groups, introducing an idea I've been developing that aligns with this vision. Until then, What are your thoughts on ways to reduce the cost of space telescopes and making them accessible? Share your perspectives below! 🚀🔭
#SpaceTelescopes #CostEffectiveSpaceExploration
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Sales Engineer at Arbor Networks, now part of NETSCOUT
2moMathieu MARCK can you send me one pair of those amazing refractor please 😉