Hubble Space Telescope scientific merit, did not duplicate proposals made by professionals, and required the unique capabilities of the space telescope. Thirteen amateur astronomers were awarded time on the telescope, with observations being carried out between 1990 and 1997. One such study was "Transition Comets—UV Search for OH". The very first proposal, "A Hubble Space Telescope Study of Posteclipse Brightening and Albedo Changes on Io", was published in "Icarus", a journal devoted to solar system studies. A second study from another group of amateurs was also published in "Icarus". After that time, however, budget reductions at STScI made the support of work by
Criticism of the Space Shuttle program and payloads into low Earth orbits. It would afford the opportunity to conduct science experiments on board the shuttle to be used to study the effects of space flight on humans, animals and plants. Other experiments would study how things can be manufactured in space. The shuttle would also enable astronauts to launch satellites from the shuttle and even repair satellites already out in space. The Shuttle was also intended for research into the human response to zero-g. The Shuttle was originally billed as a space vehicle that would be able to launch once a week and give low launch