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The week has been hard for NASA. First, the news was announced that the legendary Hubble Space Telescope had been forced to go into safe mode to diagnose a problem with its gyroscopes. Then the Russian Soyuz rocket failed on its way to the International Space Station, delaying the journey of a NASA astronaut who happily escaped from his life.
To conclude the week, NASA announced that its Chandra X-Ray observatory had also entered safe mode and concerned an unexplained problem that has not yet been revealed. TGIF I guess, is not it, NASA?
NASA's statement on the subject explains that the dead time has started well on Wednesday and that it is quite clear on the details:
On October 10, 2018, at approximately 9:55 pm Eastern Time, NASA's Chandra X-ray observatory went into safe mode; the solar panels receive the maximum of sun and the mirrors are far from the sun. The analysis of the available data indicates that switching to safe mode was a normal behavior for such an event. All the systems have worked as expected and the scientific instruments are safe. The cause of the transition in safe mode (possibly with a gyroscope) is under investigation and we will publish more information as soon as it becomes available.
The good news is that the spacecraft went into safe mode successfully, which it was designed to do in such circumstances. So, at least this part of the observatory is working as expected. It's probably uncomfortable for engineers trying to figure out what's wrong, but it's good to know that the aging spacecraft can still support itself.
"Chandra is 19 years old, far exceeding the initial 5-year life," says NASA. "In 2001, NASA extended its life span by 10 years. She is now well engaged in her mission and should continue to conduct advanced scientific research for many years. "
It obviously depends on whether or not NASA can get it back on track, so let's keep our fingers crossed so that there is nothing serious.
Image Source: NASA / CXC / SAO
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