This week, the House Committee on Science held hearings to discuss the future of the Hubble Space Telescope. The orbiting observatory is in need of repairs to keep it operating safely -- however, NASA administrators are not sure that they want to attempt a costly and risky repair mission. In addition, some recent press reports have indicated that funding for a repair mission may already have been stricken from the federal budget. We'll talk about possible options for the Hubble program, and what might come next in orbital astronomy.

Then, Ira will talk with Helen Greiner, one of the founders of the iRobot Corporation. The company has made a consumer hit with its 'Roomba' line of robotic vacuum cleaners. However, they've bigger things on their mind than your dust bunnies, including military robots and vehicles. We'll find out more.

Finally, we'll look at research being reported this week that may help balance astronomers' universal balance sheets. Researchers say they may have identified some of the 'missing matter' in the universe, in intergalactic clouds of very diffuse gas. We'll talk about it. Call in with your questions and comments at 1-800-989-8255 (2-3 Eastern). Teachers, find more information about using Science Friday as a classroom resource in the Kids' Connection.

Guests:
Sandra Faber
University Professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics
University of California Santa Cruz
Astronomer, UC Observatories/ Lick
Santa Cruz, California

Joseph Rothenberg
Former Associate Administrator for Space Flight, NASA
Former Director of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
President, Universal Space Network
Darnestown, Maryland

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Helen Greiner
Chairman and Co-Founder
iRobot Corporation
Burlington, Massachusetts

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Fabrizio Nicastro
Astrophysicist
Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
Cambridge, Massachusetts

Books/Articles Discussed:

Nicastro, et. al. "The mass of the missing baryons in the X-ray forest of the warm–hot intergalactic medium." Nature 433, 495 - 498 (03 February 2005).

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This segment produced by Karin Vergoth