I am sort of flummoxed on this one.
Hubble was supposed to be finished with its mission in 2005, so it look like it’s going to exceed its originally projected lifespan. My concern, and the concern of a good many people who testified at an open hearing on this matter, is that Hubble might be taken down before the James Webb Space Telescope gets up and running. Given the glitches with Hubble’s initial deployment I’d say that was a risky position to be putting ourselves in.
For the cost of an additional Shuttle mission Hubble’s lifespan could be extended to overlap the JWST’s deployment. But there’s the rub: Shuttle missions are expensive and money’s too tight to mention.
Personally, I want to see the Hubble at the Smithsonian. They do, after all, have to run a mission to attach a thruster package in order to achieve a predictable re-entry. Why not just pick that fabulous thing up and bring it home?
I’m off to read the minutes of that hearing mentioned so’s I can give you a better answer…