Quote:
Originally posted by grumpyolddude
Actually, the original plan was to keep them both operational:
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Nowhere in your quote or the Spitzer websites does it say ANYTHING about keeping all four telescopes operational concurrently. Moreover, the cryogenically cooled instruments on the Hubble would have run out of gas long before those of Spitzer. Ergo, it would be impossible to operate both the Hubble *and* the Spitzer -- to say nothing of the other 2 -- without further intervention to replenish the cryogen gas. When the coolant is depleted, the telescope is finished. That's all there is to it.
Coming back to my original point. Nowhere in your quote or subsequent link does it *say* that both projects were going to continue operating side-by-side.
In any case, MY original point was that there already was a more capable replacement in orbit and that the folks whining about NOT having a space telescope were completely unfounded.