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The Hubble Space Telescope has turned on again! NASA managed to switch to a standby computer on the observatory on Friday July 16 after weeks of computer glitches.
On June 13, Hubble shut down after a 1980s payload computer that runs the telescope’s science instruments suffered a problem. Now, more than a month after Hubble encountered issues, which the Hubble team said were caused by the spacecraft’s power control unit (PCU), NASA has switched to hardware from saved and was able to turn the oscilloscope back on.
With Hubble back online with this backup hardware, the Hubble team is watching closely to make sure everything is working properly, according to a statement from NASA.
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“So far everything is fine – so proud of the @NASAHubble team as I have received updates all day. Assuming continued progress, Hubble will be in science mode later this weekend! awaiting that first ‘after’ photo, “Thomas Zurbuchen, the associate administrator of NASA’s science mission leadership, tweeted in the wake of the news that Hubble was on the road to recovery.
So far so good – so proud of the @NASAHubble team as I got the updates all day. Assuming continued progress, Hubble will go into science mode later this weekend! While waiting for this first photo “after” .. 🛰🌌 https://t.co/waRN7gX28cJuly 16, 2021
Included in this switch to backup hardware, the team brought online the backup PCU as well as the Scientific Data Formatter / Backup Control Unit (CU / SDF), which is located on the other side of the building. scientific instrument and the management of orders and data (SI C&DH), according to the declaration. The PCU diverts power from the SI C&DH while the CU / SDF formats, then sends data and commands throughout the oscilloscope.
Other hardware items were also replaced with their backup versions to keep the telescope running.
After carefully switching to alternative hardware on Hubble, the team turned on the oscilloscope payload backup computer, loaded it with flight software, and brought Hubble back to “normal operating mode.” , according to the press release.
In addition to monitoring the oscilloscope and its “new” hardware as a result of this change, the Hubble team also began recovering Hubble’s science instruments from the “safe mode” configuration they entered after the June 13 problem.
Getting all scientific instruments back online will take more than a day, according to the NASA statement, as the team must ensure that the instruments are at a stable temperature and can operate safely. Once the telescope’s science instruments are out of safe mode, the Hubble team will calibrate them and then return to science work, the statement said.
This isn’t the first time Hubble has encountered technical problems in space, but the telescope, which was launched aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery in 1990, has not been serviced by astronauts since 2009, the shuttle program ending just two years later. Despite a few technical bumps in the road, like a flaw with its main mirror that was fixed in 1993, Hubble has still captured some of the most breathtaking views of the cosmos ever.
Email Chelsea Gohd at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter @chelsea_gohd. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.
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