Weighing the Costs & Benefits of the Hubble Space Telescope

According to Washington State University's School of Economic Sciences, the $2 billion cost of designing, manufacturing, operating and servicing the Hubble Telescope must be weighed against the benefits that the telescope has given to science.

History

The Hubble Telescope was launched into orbit in 1990 aboard the space shuttle Discovery. The telescope has provided images of the visible regions of deep space.

Marginal Analysis

Information from Washington State University argues that, using the technique of marginal analysis, the weighing of cost versus benefit of the Hubble Telescope's initial $2 billion cost should be written off as unredeemable. The benefits provided by the telescope should be weighed against the smaller operating and servicing costs.

Space

Cornell University's Department of Astronomy states that the Hubble Telescope was beneficial because, at the time of the telescope's launch, earthbound telescopes were incapable of replicating the images taken by the Hubble. Adaptive optics, which reduce the turbulence of the Earth's atmosphere for telescopes, mean that the cost of maintaining the Hubble in 2010 may be too high to receive images similar to those seen on Earth.

References

• Washington State University: Marginal Analysis
• Cornell University: What Are the Advantages and Disadvantages of Using a Telescope in Space?
• Chemical & Engineering News: Hubble's Fate