Hacker News Reader

Comment by setug | Hacker News Reader

Wouldn't it be a good idea to open the source code for community inspection? Of course NASA would panic with Russia and China inspecting for "hostile" actions, but hey, if they don't know what to do, why not calling the expert reverse engineers of the world?

View on HN

Idk about the payload computer, but I've got to think guidance and operation controls would have at least some remnants of legacy keyhole technology, or would expose hardware details that might still be sensitive information, even if the software was a total rewrite.

Hubble is basically a US spy satellite, pointing outwards instead of inwards. I'm sure there will be similar classes of hardware still in operation, so could be some sensitivity there.

Yeah- that's what keyhole is: a codename for a series of nro/ nga spy sats.

Edit: and Hubble was built from a surplus skeleton of one, through a government transfer.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Key_Hole

It's a 30/40-yr old code and hardware. Now that I think about it, the problem could be related to some "exotic" decisions made by that time...

Lots of 30/40 year old hardware is still classified, especially spy technology.

Then hiding it when it's on Earth could make sense, actually attacking Hubble is much more complicated that anything on earth, given that you can actually put your hands on it, connecting through a JTAG and understanding what's wrong (besides spying).

Interesting thought. I would say something like the hubble transcends politcal/governmental boundaries... although I do wonder how much if its software is used in other secretive satellites.

Hubble is basically a repurposed spy satellite so it may still be sensitive. Although I doubt any of its sisters are still flying.

They are believed to have lifespans as long as Hubble. The last block 4 was launched in 2013.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USA-245

USA-314, launched this year, is allegedly a KH derivative.

Hubble has only lasted as long as it has because it was serviced on 4 separate occasions--although one of those was to fix a manufacturing defect. I don't think any of the spysats had service missions.

No one knows for sure publicly, but NRO offered two more KeyHole bodies to NASA some years back. That's may be a hint they're considered obsolete.

On the contrary I doubt that the US military would give up advanced imaging technology, like reading car plates from space, for nothing. That's the Hubble. Nothing else comes close.

I don't think anybody else believes that they would, either.

The question is not "is the US military still doing telescope-based surveillance?" it's "is the US military doing it with Hubble-class stuff, or are they doing it with newer stuff?"

Given the age and amount of hands-on maintenance required to keep the Hubble working, it's almost certain they're doing it with newer stuff.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com