Supporting some speculation that Hubble is based on the NRO Keyhole satellites, the NRO will be donating 2 stored (on Earth) satellites. "Although the lenses and control mechanisms are complete, the telescopes lack some major components, including cameras and control software."
The Satellites are said to have been produced in the late 90's- early 2000's, and NASA is said to have had possession for 18months already.
The satellites are supposedly well suited for wide field astronomy, a current NASA goal, and apparently better than NASA's spec for a new satellite.
The Satellites, known simply as A and B, are similar to the Hubble, but shorted and have a wider field of view.
http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/nro-donates-spare-telescopes-to-nasa-372916/ |