Word: repairer
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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When it comes to dealing with the media, we are a nation of spin doctors. Afraid that our words will be twisted beyond repair, we never say what we mean. So we say as little as possible and adhere to a common code: Never admit anything. Always keep 'em guessing. Shun the exposure...
...shuttle Endeavour's mission to repair the Hubble Space Telescope is the 59th shuttle flight, and like so many before it, this one was delayed before getting started. On this occasion, high crosswinds caused a one-day postponement. Fortunately, the astronauts on Endeavour -- and all the other shuttles that have failed to go up on time -- are always offered free lodging for a couple of nights...
...come: a week of dangerous and delicate maneuvers performed more than 300 miles up in space. The challenge facing Endeavour's seven-member crew was not just to fix the hobbled Hubble Telescope and thus ensure the future of space science. The larger goal was to repair NASA's reputation, battered in recent years by accusations of incompetence, mismanagement -- and, just last week, major fraud as well...
...Hubble rescue is by far the most difficult mission since the moon landings. The crew was set to perform at least five six-hour space walks, and maybe up to seven, in order to replace or repair the telescope's myopic primary mirror, an outdated camera, two wobbly solar-energy panels and three faulty gyroscopes, among other balky components -- 11 fixes in all. Says mission scientist Edward Weiler sardonically: "This is not a trip to Grandma's house to fix the faucet...
...without this $629 million repair mission, the telescope would probably break down soon anyway. Its blurred vision, caused by an improperly ground primary mirror that NASA failed to test thoroughly before launch, is the least of the Hubble trouble. The telescope's solar panels wobble badly when they're heated by the sun; if they snapped off, the craft would be virtually powerless. It is one gyroscope away from being rudderless. And its electronics have been acting up more than they should...