The venerable Hubble Space Telescope is recovering from a disruption that halted its scientific activities over the weekend, NASA said.
The telescope got into “safe mode” unexpectedly on Sunday morning (March 7), the observatory’s scientific observations delayed due to an apparent software glitch. Scientific operations resumed late Thursday (March 11). While Hubble is partially back at work, NASA is still troubleshooting one instrument on the 30-year-old telescope, according to a statement released Friday (March 12).
“The telescope has completed its first observation since returning to scientific mode, using the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph instrument to map gas flows in active galactic nuclei,” NASA officials said. wrote in the statement“Wide Field Camera 3 will remain suspended while the team investigates a low voltage issue that has prevented it from becoming operational.” The Wide Field Camera 3, or WFC3, was installed in 2009 during NASA’s last service mission to Hubble by astronauts.
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The WFC3 problem was an “unexpected error,” according to NASA, that occurred when the telescope switched from safe mode to pre-science after the team fixed the initial software problem. NASA did not provide additional details about the camera, merely noting that “The team is currently looking into this problem and possible solutions.”
The software problem arose from a recent change to the telescope’s code intended to address Hubble’s gyroscope problems, the statement continues. Hubble uses gyroscopes to correctly align itself to lock onto scientific targets during observations. The telescope has six gyroscopes, but only three are still operating after three decades in orbit. For now, the Hubble team is blocking that improvement; later engineers will modify it for future use.
While the telescope was in safe mode, the team discovered another problem the spacecraft is experiencing. The telescope has a door on the top that can automatically block sunlight and heat from the sun in case Hubble accidentally turns toward the star. According to NASA, the door has not been commissioned that way so far, but it is intended to close when the telescope enters safe mode. Engineers now believe they addressed the problem by switching the door to rely on the backup motor.
The Hubble Space Telescope launched in April 1990Astronauts have made five different visits to repair and upgrade the observatory using NASA’s space shuttle fleet, most recently in 2009. Since those vehicles retired in 2011, Hubble has been on their own.
Still, NASA is confident that the iconic telescope has a lot more work to do. “Hubble’s instruments are expected to yield breakthrough science in the coming years,” the statement said.
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