The news that the Department of Defense had two space telescopes with Hubble-sized mirrors (via) sitting in storage is yet another reminder of the hundreds of billions of dollars that have been spent on defense that we know nothing about. Just think how many totebags had to be purchased to pay for NOVA pieces justifying the Hubble, all while the NRO had a couple of spares just sitting around in their garage:
The new telescopes are “actually better than the Hubble. They’re the same size, but the optical design is such that you can put a broader set of instruments on the back,” he said.
NASA might not get to use these scopes because they have no money for refitting, launching and operating them–our priorities aren’t that screwed up–but it’s still nice to see the military throwing a crumb to the rest of government.