Browsing by Author "Johnston, Peter J."

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    Astronomers and the Hubble space telescope: an historical analysis
    Johnston, Peter J. (Virginia Tech, 1992-07-05)
    In this thesis I describe a period in the Hubble Space Telescope's history during which a relatively small number of astronomers worked to encourage their colleagues to support the telescope project. I analyze astronomers' behavior in terms of the various problems which they faced. I argue that astronomical community came to support the project in part because the telescope's advocates succeeded in separating technological issues from economic ones. I also suggest that separating these two kinds of issues may have contributed to the circumstances which led to the telescope's well-publicized defects.