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April 23, 2006

Comments

Paul Tomblin

The other joke is that if the guys designing the Hubble had been allowed to talk to the guys across the hall behind the security doors, they never would have made the mistake with the mirror design.

Cambias

As I understand it, the problem with the mirror was a manufacturing error rather than a design problem. The mirror manufacturer (Perkins-Elmer) failed to do proper quality-assurance checking because they were apparently getting out of the business anyway. Which suggests that the spy-satellite makers buy their mirrors from someone else.

Cambias

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About Us

  • Diane A. Kelly
    Diane Kelly is a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, where she studies the neural wiring and mechanical engineering of reproductive systems.
  • James L. Cambias
    Jim Cambias writes science fiction and designs games in the lonely wilderness of Western Massachusetts.

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