Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, December 9, 1993 TAG: 9312090234
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-17 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
"Naming it after him hasn't been much of an honor until now," Robert Hubbell, who also is a former president of the Hubbell Historical Society, said from his home in Winchester.
Robert Hubbell said he and other relatives of Edwin Hubble (the astronomer's descendants changed the spelling) have received some derisive comments since NASA launched the $1.6 billion telescope with an improperly ground mirror.
"They think a Hubbell was at fault, because they think a family member designed it and don't realize it was named for a famous astronomer," he said.
Edwin Hubble discovered that galaxies are moving away from each other, creating an ever-expanding universe.
Robert Hubbell said the Hubbells in North America descend from an orphan boy who came to the United States from England in 1640. Edwin Hubble's family moved from Connecticut to Virginia after the Revolutionary War and later moved to Missouri, where Edwin was born, he said.
"I think it's remarkable how well things have gone," Hubbell said. "Unlike a repair job here on land, they won't be able to test it first and have to hope everything does work. We're hoping it will find things in the universe, and the astronomer will really be honored."
Hubbell said some family members will still think another relative is just as famous.
"Some of us think that the one who was pitching for the New York Giants, Carl Hubbell, who struck out Babe Ruth and Jimmy Foxx and three others in a row in an All-Star game . . . was fully as important as this."
by CNB