From Reuters:HOUSTON (Reuters) - The shuttle crew being dispatched to work on the Hubble Space Telescope faces a higher-than-usual chance of disaster due to orbital debris, the shuttle program manager said on Monday.
NASA is preparing for a fifth and final servicing mission to the orbital observatory next month.
The environment where Hubble flies, about 350 miles (560 km) above the planet, is more littered with shards of exploded spacecraft and rockets than the area around the International Space Station, which orbits about 210 miles above Earth.
The odds of catastrophic damage from an orbital debris strike are 1 in 185 for the Hubble crew, compared with 1 in 300 for missions to the space station, John Shannon, the shuttle program manager, told reporters.
"It's our biggest risk," he said.
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More News On The Space Shuttle's Mission
NASA: Space Debris a Higher Risk for Hubble Shuttle Flight -- Space.com
NASA warns Hubble mission brings greater space debris risk -- AFP
Shuttle Atlantis Faces Debris Danger on Hubble Mission -- The Write Stuff
Hubble shuttle flight faces higher space junk risk -- International Herald Tribune
Atlantis is moved to launch pad -- L.A. Times
Shuttle Launch Dates for 2008 Rescheduled -- Geek Dad
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