The venerable Hubble Space Telescope is recovering from a problem that halted its science operations over the weekend, according to NASA.
The telescope went into “safe mode” unexpectedly On Sunday morning (March 7), the observatory’s scientific observations came to a halt due to an apparent software bug. The science activities resumed late Thursday (March 11). While Hubble is partially back in business, NASA is still working on fixing one instrument on the 30-year-old telescope, according to a statement released on Friday (March 12).
“The telescope has completed its first observation since returning to science mode, using the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph instrument to map gas flow in active galactic nuclei,” NASA officials said. written in the statement. “Wide Field Camera 3 remains suspended as the team investigates a low voltage issue that prevented it from being operational again.” The Wide Field Camera 3, or WFC3, was installed in 2009 during astronauts from NASA’s last mission to Hubble.
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The WFC3 issue was, according to NASA, an “unexpected error” that occurred when the telescope switched from safe mode to pre-science after the team addressed the initial software issue. NASA did not provide any additional details about the camera, noting only that “The team is currently reviewing the issue and possible solutions.”
The software error resulted from a recent modification of the telescope’s code intended to address Hubble’s gyroscope issues, the statement continues. Hubble uses gyroscopes to show itself properly to hold on to a scientific target during observations. The telescope has six gyroscopes, but only three still work after three decades in orbit. For now, the Hubble team is blocking the improvement; later engineers will adapt it for future use.
While the telescope was in safe mode, the team identified another problem that the spacecraft was experiencing. The telescope has a door at the top that can automatically block the sun’s light and heat if Hubble turns in the wrong direction toward the star. According to NASA, the door has not been put into use so far, but it is meant to close when the telescope goes into safe mode. Engineers now believe they addressed the problem by switching on to relying on the backup car.
The Hubble Space Telescope launched in April 1990; astronauts made five separate visits to repair and upgrade the observatory using NASA’s space fleet, most recently in 2009. Since the vehicles retired in 2011, Hubble has been on its own.
Yet NASA is confident that the iconic telescope has a lot more work ahead. “Hubble’s instruments are expected to deliver groundbreaking work for years to come,” the statement said.
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