A decision to review the possibility of servicing the Hubble space telescope has sparked questions about lost opportunities among ISU professors.

NASA decided to forgo any missions to fix the ailing Hubble space telescope Jan. 16. However, on Jan. 30, NASA said a committee would be formed to review the decision.

Some ISU professors said they are disappointed by the possibility of the loss of Hubble and its technologies.

Steven Kawaler, professor of physics and astronomy, said he is saddened by the decision. Hubble has opened many windows in the field of astronomy since it first went into operation in 1990, he said.

Concerns of safety on NASA missions after the Columbia disaster in February 2003 added to the Hubble decision.

“Hubble is in a much higher orbit than the International Space station, so shuttle missions are not able to stop at both,” Kawaler said.

In particular, manned shuttle missions are worrisome for NASA right now, he said.

“It’s like playing the lottery — it’s a gamble,” he said.

The Hubble is operational for now, but it is unknown how long it will operate, Kawaler said. The gyroscopes aiming it could fail tomorrow, or they could last years. When it quits working completely, it will fall out of orbit and burn up on reentry.

Kawaler said although he understands the safety concerns, he said he wishes there was something that could be done to fix Hubble.

“We don’t go to space to be safe, we go to push the envelope,” Kawaler said.

When Hubble was launched in 1990, NASA planned to send a service team every few years or as problems arose, according to the Hubble Project Web site.

The fifth servicing mission was originally planned for 2005 or 2006, but it may not be completed as a result of the decision made by NASA officials.

Millions of dollars of equipment built for the Hubble, such as a $3 million spectrograph, may go unused if the decision to stop servicing missions is made.

The next generation of space telescopes will be launched around 2010 before the original planned demise of Hubble telescope.

The James Webb Space telescope, which will be released in six years, is not exactly a replacement for Hubble, because its functions are not exactly the same.

“Risk outweighs the good,” said William Byrd, director of Iowa Space Grant Consortium.

The scientific return achieved by Hubble is not worth the possibility of human lives lost, said Byrd, program director of aerospace engineering. He said while many will be affected by the loss of Hubble, as an aerospace engineer, he would not be affected.

The decision to stop servicing the Hubble telescope is unfortunate, said Charles Kerton, assistant professor of physics and astronomy.

“There is a risk going back to Hubble, it is far more likely for missions to not be taken unless they are able to visit the International Space Station,” Kerton said.