The NASA plan to repair Hubble gets good news

NASA’s quest to repair the Hubble Space Telescope and restart scientific observations had good news, although efforts to address the aging of the spaceship still have serious risks. More than three decades now, Hubble has taken unexpectedly in its so-called safe mode in mid-June after the payload responsible for the management of the telescope. 

As the name suggests, the safe mode is possible, a state of protection in which minimal permanent damage is possible. At the time, NASA stated that it had no indication that the Hubble spacecraft was damaged or malfunctioning, but the efforts deployed to develop the useful charge computer encountered a failure.

By the current land standards, the technology on board Hubble is barely cut. While the spatial telescope can look billions of billions of dollars with light, these are computers designed by NASA in the 1970s. In fact, the instrument has two payload computers – located on The unity of scientific instruments and data control and manipulation (if C & DH) – with a backup servant.

In theory, NASA should be able to set up this backup and bring hubble online, but trying to do it at the end of June 25 encountered the same problem. Hubble was unable to write or read from his memory banks.

Test of the next theory, however, is no longer a risk. It is possible that the command data trainer / hubble science (CU / SDF) – responsible for sending and formatting commands – could be an error; Alternatively, a power controller in the power control unit could be in default. Hubble has backups of both, but switching them is more delicate than simplifying the payload computer and memory modules.

Indeed, the backup system and the power regulator are also linked to other materials on the spaceship itself, which, until now, NASA has been able to leave intact. Do not hurt, and there is a much higher probability of sustainable damage than efforts to solve earth could not address.

Earlier this week, NASA’s Hubble team launched a multi-day test procedure that would be undertaken to make this safeguard switch. Today, the space agency has confirmed that the test went as planned.

“NASA has successfully completed a test of procedures to switch to Hubble backup equipment in response to the problem of the payload computer,” NASA said in a statement. “This switch could occur next week after other preparations and magazines.”

Judicially, NASA does nothing, and the criticism process will require a full explanation and risk assessment will be presented before the real hubble changes are undertaken. Nevertheless, in its current state, the spatial telescope no longer provides scientific observations, even if there is no immediate risk. Previous estimates suggested that physical resilience for physical resilience, Hubble could last up to 2040.