From the July 2010 issue

In the December 2009 issue of Astronomy, you explained why we couldn’t bring the Hubble Space Telescope back to Earth. But can we attach it to the International Space Station?

Sylvain Robert, Trois-Rivières, Québec, Canada
By | Published: July 26, 2010 | Last updated on May 18, 2023

Hubble Space Telescope
The Hubble Space Telescope.
NASA

The International Space Station (ISS) has pollutants that could damage the Hubble Space Telescope’s mirror if it were docked to the ISS. Even if this weren’t a concern, getting Hubble from one place to another requires a lot more energy than you might imagine. It’s doable in terms of orbital mechanics, but it’s risky and expensive.