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From NASA The Hubble Space Telescope takes an unexpected break.
The iconic observatory went into protective “safe mode” early Sunday morning (March 7), but its managers seem confident it will bounce back in a relatively short time frame.
“At ~ 4:00 a.m. EST [0900 GMT] On Sunday, the Hubble Space Telescope went into safe mode due to an onboard software error. All scientific systems appear to be normal, and Hubble is secure and stable. The team is working on plans to return it safely to normal science operations, “Hubble team members announced Sunday evening via the telescope’s official NASA Twitter account.
Related: The best Hubble Space Telescope images ever!
At approximately 4:00 a.m. EST on Sunday, the Hubble Space Telescope entered Safe Mode due to an onboard software error. All scientific systems appear to be normal, and Hubble is secure and stable. The team is working on plans to return it safely to normal science operations. pic.twitter.com/6JlSSHisLdMarch 8, 2021
Hubble, a joint mission of NASA and the European Space Agency, was launched into Earth orbit aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery in April 1990. The telescope’s vision was famous at first, but astronauts traveling through it space corrected this problem in 1993, and Hubble provided large images and revolutionary discoveries since.
Spacecraft enter Safe Mode when they detect an abnormal condition that could threaten their well-being. Although some Safe Mode alerts indicate a serious problem, most are the result of minor issues that can be fixed.
In October 2018, for example, Hubble went into safe mode after experiencing issues with two of its orienteering gyroscopes. This dark spell lasted three weeks, but Hubble bounced back to great shape.
We will just have to keep our fingers crossed that the current software issue can be fixed as well. Hubble has been a big part of our lives for over three decades, and most of us aren’t ready to say goodbye just yet.
Mike Wall is the author of “Over there“(Grand Central Publishing, 2018; illustrated by Karl Tate), a book on the search for alien life. Follow him on Twitter @michaeldwall. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom or Facebook.
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