For one Hubble, something like a dozen of Keyhole spy telescopes have been launched [0]. Just imagine the kind of science we would have gotten if we launched a dozen of Hubbles instead... [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KH-11_Kennen
Hubble Captures Crisp New Image of Jupiter and Europa
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Re: Hubble Captures Crisp New Image of Jupiter and Europa
#22What are the odds in our lifetime there will be a probe sent into orbit and then down into the atmosphere with high-resolution cameras that can beam back imagery/video of the entire trip? I think it'd be fascinating to see what it's like both above and while descending through the clouds. Also, is it possible life could exist in the clouds similar to how we now speculate on Venus?
not from orbit, but from very very very high up.
Re: Hubble Captures Crisp New Image of Jupiter and Europa
#23For one Hubble, something like a dozen of Keyhole spy telescopes have been launched [0]. Just imagine the kind of science we would have gotten if we launched a dozen of Hubbles instead... [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KH-11_Kennen
Uncertainty can lead humans to make decisions to handle a worst-case scenario that isn't actually taking place. High-quality imaging makes it difficult for nation-states to bluff or to understate the scale of decay/disaster and allows for finer-grained control of military escalation.
We are seeing the next evolution of these effects as ordinary citizens can now get access to imaging systems that were once the realm of the Keyholes. They are journalists and free press in the sky. The internment camps of Xinjiang can't be hidden: https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/alison_killing/satellit...
We must, of course, be wary of the societal effects of these imaging systems. If only some have access to orbital imaging, the asymmetry in power can be substantial and the norms for privacy can erode.
Re: Hubble Captures Crisp New Image of Jupiter and Europa
#24Man, I'd love to be able to get a really high resolution print of this framed so I can hang it in my living room.
Re: Hubble Captures Crisp New Image of Jupiter and Europa
#25For one Hubble, something like a dozen of Keyhole spy telescopes have been launched [0]. Just imagine the kind of science we would have gotten if we launched a dozen of Hubbles instead... [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KH-11_Kennen
The science output of a given device usually shows heavily diminishing returns. I would say 12 Hubbles would have had at most twice the impact of 1 Hubble, probably less.
Re: Hubble Captures Crisp New Image of Jupiter and Europa
#26I wish they would send something like the Cassini spacecraft to Jupiter. Just gobs and gobs of eye candy until the sensor gets nuked to bits.
Re: Hubble Captures Crisp New Image of Jupiter and Europa
#27I would love to see an image like that combined with a depth map to allow us to move it around and get a sense of the vertical scale of those storms!
Re: Hubble Captures Crisp New Image of Jupiter and Europa
#28I'm really disappointed that JWST doesn't support visible light imaging. Maybe there's better science value to non-visible light sources but for PR it is great.
http://www.extremetech.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Compar...
Re: Hubble Captures Crisp New Image of Jupiter and Europa
#29Earlier quoted context omitted.
For a few hundred years now, we've been looking at the planets. Finally makes it sound like we just did this yesterday or within current life times.
For the past few hundred years until recently, we've been seeing bright and fuzzy dots. There's a difference between that, and ~640000 square pixels worth of details we see in the article.
Re: Hubble Captures Crisp New Image of Jupiter and Europa
#30It never occurred to me that the Great Red Spot would be shrinking. It's logical that storm systems are dynamic (and finite) things, but I find it striking that in another hundred years, people may never think of Jupiter as having such a dramatic feature. And who knows what new ones may have developed. I suppose that's as much a commentary on how short a time we've been able to witness these phenomena as more than do…