NASA stated Monday that it remains unsure of the cause of the Hubble Space Telescope’s failure, almost 10 days after it was shut down for the second consecutive time this year.
The U.S. space agency continues to investigate why instruments in the Hubble Space telescope went into safe mode configuration recently, suspending science operations.
NASA released a statement stating that “the instruments are healthy and will stay in safe mode while NASA continues its investigation.”
The agency did offer some clarifications, including that error codes for the Hubble’s scientific instruments were issued at 1 :46 a.m. ET on October 23, ‘indicating that there was a loss of a specific syncronization message.
NASA is still trying to figure out what’s wrong with the Hubble Space Telescope almost 10 days after it stopped functioning for the second time in this year.
The Hubble engineers reset the instruments, and science operations were resumed on the next morning.
However, on October 25, at 2:38 AM EDT, a second set error codes was issued, again indicating that there was no synchronization message.
The instruments were placed into safe mode shortly thereafter.
NASA stated that an error code was issued on October 23. Engineers reset the instruments, and science operations resumed. On October 25, a second error code was issued indicating that synchronization messages had been lost.
The Hubble can be in safe mode when it doesn’t observe any celestial objects, or collect data. However, it is still powered up.
NASA said that members of the mission are combing data and system diagrams in order to understand the synchronization problem and how it can be fixed. They also gather other data.
NASA stated that all of the activities will take at most one week. They also added that the’rest’ of the spacecraft is still operating as expected.
The Hubble, a spacecraft that has been in space for more than 30 year, was first unable to work in June because of problems with a 1980s-era computer which controls its science instruments.
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland attempted to restart the computer on June 14 after it had stopped working on June 13. However, they ran into the same problem and couldn’t get it to work normally.
After problems with an 1980s-era computer controlling its science instruments, the Hubble quit working in June
After a month of being halted by technical problems, science operations on the Hubble were resumed on July 17.
The agency was able to successfully perform a “very risky” maneuver to switch the Hubble’s backup computer to its backup.
The switch ‘was performed to compensate for a problem with the original payload computer that occurred on June 13 when the computer halted, suspending science data collection.’
The switch, which started on July 15, involved bringing the backup Power Control Unit (PCU) online, as well as the backup Command Unit/Science Data Formatter (CU/SDF) on the other side of the Science Instrument and Command & Data Handling (SI C&DH) unit.
The PCU brings power to the SI C&DH components, while the CU/SDF sends and formats commands and data.
NASA added that other pieces of hardware on the Hubble were also switched to alternate interfaces to connect to the backup SI C&DH.
The backup payload computer, which was loaded with software and normal operation mode, was then turned on.
Before being switched on in July the backup payload computer hadn’t been powered on since Hubble’s last servicing mission in 2009.
Hubble, a NASA, European Space Agency, and Canadian Space Agency joint project, has been studying the universe for more than three decades.
It has collected more than 1.5million observations of the universe and published over 18,000 scientific papers based on these data.
The telescope orbits Earth at a speed around 17,000mph (27.300kph). It orbits low Earth orbit at approximately 340 feet in altitude. This is slightly lower than the International Space Station.
Hubble was launched in April 1990 from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center. Despite a series of repairs and updates made by spacewalking astronauts during NASA’s shuttle era, Hubble is showing more signs of ageing.
Hubble was launched from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center in April 1990. It is showing signs that Hubble is getting older despite numerous repairs and updates made by spacewalking astronauts during NASA’s shuttle era.
The telescope is named after Edwin Hubble, an astronomer who was born Missouri in 1889. He discovered the speed at which the universe expands and also the rate at which it does so.
The Hubble recently celebrated its 31st birthday in space. This was done with an image of a giant star ‘on the edge destruction’.
The Hubble is being replaced by the U.S. space agency with the $10 billion James Webb Telescope.
After months of delays the James Webb Telescope will be launched into space on December 18, 2021 on board the ESA Ariane-5 rocket.
The telescope was successfully unpacked in French Guiana last month. It will now travel 5,800 miles to reach space.
NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope continues to work and has made over 1.3 million observations since its mission started in 1990.
The Hubble telescope was launched from Florida’s Kennedy Space Centre via Discovery on April 24, 1990.
It is named for Edwin Hubble, famed astronomer and was born in Missouri, Missouri in 1889.
He is perhaps most well-known for discovering that the universe expands and the rate at the which it does so – now known as the Hubble constant.
The Hubble telescope is named after famed astronomer Edwin Hubble who was born in Missouri in 1889 (pictured)
Hubble has made more than 1.3 million observations since its mission began in 1990 and helped publish more than 15,000 scientific papers.
It orbits Earth at 17,000mph (27.300kph) in low Earth orbit at approximately 340 miles altitude.
Hubble’s pointing accuracy is.007 arc second, which is equivalent to being able shine a laser beam on Franklin D. Roosevelt’s head from a dime 200 miles (320km).
The Hubble telescope was named after Edwin Hubble, who is one of the greatest astronomers ever to have created the Hubble constant.
Hubble’s primary mirror is 2.4 meters (7 feet, 10.5 inches) across and in total is 13.3 meters (43.5 feet) long – the length of a large school bus.
Hubble’s launch in April 1990 and deployment in April 1990 was the most significant astronomy breakthrough since Galileo’s telescope.
Five servicing missions, more than 25 years of operations, have transformed our view of the universe.