On June 13, Hubble shut down after a payload computer from the 1980s that deals with the telescopes science instruments suffered a glitch. Read more: Hubble difficulty is newest problem in space telescopes storied and long historyRelated: The Hubble Space Telescope and 30 years that changed our view of the universe”So far so good – simply so happy of the @NASAHubble group as I got the updates all day. Assuming continued progress, Hubble will be in science mode later this weekend! Presuming continued development, Hubble will be in science mode later on this weekend!
As soon as again, the Hubble Space Telescope has powered on! NASA was able to successfully switch to a backup computer on the observatory on Friday (July 16) following weeks of computer system issues. On June 13, Hubble shut down after a payload computer system from the 1980s that deals with the telescopes science instruments suffered a glitch. Now, over a month because Hubble faced issues, which the Hubble team thinks were brought on by the spacecrafts Power Control Unit (PCU), NASA changed to backup hardware and had the ability to change the scope back on. With Hubble back online with this backup hardware, the Hubble group is keeping a close watch to ensure that whatever works properly, according to a statement from NASA. Read more: Hubble difficulty is newest problem in area telescopes long and storied historyRelated: The Hubble Space Telescope and 30 years that changed our view of deep space”So far so excellent – so happy with the @NASAHubble group as I got the updates all day. Assuming continued development, Hubble will remain in science mode later on this weekend! Looking forward to that first “after” image,” Thomas Zurbuchen, the associate administrator for the science objective directorate at NASA tweeted following the news that Hubble was on the roadway to recovery. Far so great – just so happy of the @NASAHubble team as I got the updates all day. Assuming continued progress, Hubble will be in science mode later on this weekend! Eagerly anticipating that first “after” photo. & #x 1f6f0; & #x 1f30c; https://t.co/waRN7gX28cJuly 16, 2021See moreIncluded in this switch to backup hardware, the group brought the backup PCU online along with the backup Command Unit/Science Data Formatter (CU/SDF), which is on the opposite of the Science Instrument and Command & & Data Handling (SI C&DH) unit, according to the statement. The PCU diverts power to the SI C&DH while the CU/SDF formats and then sends data and commands throughout the scope. Other pieces of hardware were also swapped to their backup versions to enable the telescope to operate. After carefully changing to the alternative hardware on Hubble, the group switched on the scopes backup payload computer system, packed it with flight software application and returned Hubble to “regular operations mode,” according to the statement. In addition to keeping an eye on the scope and its “new” hardware following this change-up, the Hubble team has also started recuperating Hubbles science instruments from the “safe mode” configuration that they got in following the June 13 glitch. Getting all of the science instruments back online will take more than a day, according to the NASA declaration, due to the fact that the team has to ensure that the instruments are at a stable temperature and have the ability to run securely. After the telescopes science instruments run out safe mode, the Hubble group will adjust them and after that return to science work, according to the statement. This is not the very first time that Hubble has actually had technical issues in space, however the telescope, which introduced aboard the area shuttle Discovery in 1990, has actually not been serviced by astronauts because 2009, with the shuttle bus program ending simply two years later. Regardless of some technical bumps in the road, like a flaw with its main mirror that was repaired in 1993, Hubble has actually consistently caught some of the most awesome views of the cosmos ever seen. Email Chelsea Gohd at cgohd@space.com or follow her on Twitter @chelsea_gohd. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.