MLA Sample Sequence—final draft
Note: I have placed the inserted quotations in a different
font to make them easy to locate.
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Repairing the Hubble Telescope Several years ago, the Hubble Space Telescope was launched from a
space shuttle flight. Astronomers had hoped that with the telescope
orbiting high above earth's cloudy atmosphere, several questions about the
birth and fate of the universe could be answered. Unfortunately, after
the telescope was in orbit, technicians discovered that the telescope lens
had a flaw that made the pictures it sent to earth too fuzzy and imperfect to
lead to new discoveries.
"It was a view akin to a dusty contact lens or trying to see a sharp
image through dirty water" (Nguyen 103). Needless to
say, this was a major disappointment to those hoping to peer deeper into
space. Because of this unforeseen defect, a new lens would have
to be fitted onto the telescope if it were to perform as it was designed to.
For several months after the defect was discovered, scientists and
technicians considered three different ways to fix the problem.
One was to build and launch a new telescope. This would cost millions of dollars and delay receiving
any deep space information for several years (Jacobs and Moore 68).
Another idea was to build a super computer that could clear up the pictures
the current Hubble sent to earth. However, even a super computer
would have to "guess" several parts of an enhanced picture. As Carl Landis, a local astronomer,
said,
Even the most sophisticated super computer wouldn’t have the power and speed
necessary to clear up the image. Plus, the computer program would
have to make several guesses concerning the image it was trying to
process. We would be spending millions on an image we couldn't really
trust or make accurate measurements from. It would be like guessing
what was out there.
The final option was to build and install a corrective "contact
lens" for the Hubble, much as doctors and technicians make for humans
with vision problems. This solution would require tolerances
never before achieved in a lens. Added to this was the necessity to
install the corrective lens in space. Trying to anticipate as many
problems as possible before the construction of the lens was a daunting
task. As one mission
planner said, “Planning the mission was probably more difficult than deciding
which 'cure' to use. In fact, many of us doubted we could complete the
planning successfully” (Davis and Hill 123).
Once scientists decided to build and install a corrective lens, the
construction began in June of 1992. The lens was designed to bring into
focus the flawed part of the original telescope lens, thus giving the Hubble
the equivalent of 20/20 vision. As said earlier, to achieve this,
tolerances had to be nearly perfect for the corrective lens to
work. "If
the lens measurements were off more than the width of a human hair, the
Hubble's vision would probably be made worse" (Nova).
Fortunately, technology was up to the task, and the corrective lens fell well
within required tolerances.
Once the corrective lens was formed, astronauts on a space shuttle mission
would attempt to install it and make fine adjustments. This was a
repair job without rival in terms of complexity. One researcher said that "to
complete the mission would require orchestration of countless tasks without
error" ("The Hubble Finally Works" 69). The risk
was great, but so was the payoff: the original Hubble Space Telescope
would be saved along with millions of dollars and several years of work.
In December 1993, astronauts aboard the space shuttle successfully installed
the corrective lens. Since no space robot could have done the intricate
work the astronauts were required to do, their success became one more reason
why human repair and shuttle teams continue to be part of our space program. As Nguyen wrote, “No more was
there any doubt that humans should be involved in space. Even
though the risk to life remains, humans cannot be replaced by machines when
an intricate, changing situation occurs" (104).
After a few stressful weeks of "tuning,” scientists and technicians reported
that the Hubble's vision was perfect. The corrective lens installed by
the astronauts exceeded all expectations in repairing the flaw. Because
of the success of the repair effort, questions such as "do black holes
exist" and "how did the universe begin" would receive fresh,
never-before-seen information. In
addition to discovering new clues about the universe's origin, astronomers
were also thrilled at the prospect of unlocking even more wonders (Baker
365). In many ways, it seems fortunate that the Hubble needed
repair. Its story is a one of human error being corrected by human
ingenuity to give all humans greater vision.
Works Cited Baker, Elaine. Black Holes and Hubble. New York: Roundhill Press, 2008. The "The Hubble Finally Works.” The Spokesman Review 17 Jan. 2000:
B3. Jacobs, Alice L. and Marilyn Moore. "Correcting the Hubble's
Sight." Scientific Adventures Nov. 2004: 68-72. Landis, Carl. Personal interview. 12 Oct. 2007 Orion Web Reference. 5 Feb. 2001. Orion Space Imaging. 16 Oct. 2007 <http://www.orion_space_image.ex> Nova. PBS Television. 15 Jan. 2005. |