After several attempts to repair the Hubble Space Telescope, NASA has finally managed to find a fix that works.
On 16th July NASA performed a switch to a backup Power Control Unit after the original payload computer failed on 13th June.
Over the last month NASA has tried several fixes to bring Hubble back online to no avail.
At the weekend NASA tried to bring the backup Power Control Unit (PCU) and 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 online, and it seems to have worked.
According to ScienceMag, Hubble team members practiced the procedure on the ground to ensure switching components remotely wouldn’t harm the telescope.
“I’m proud of the Hubble team, from current members to Hubble alumni who stepped in to lend their support and expertise. Thanks to their dedication and thoughtful work, Hubble will continue to build on its 31-year legacy, broadening our horizons with its view of the universe,” said NASA administrator, Bill Nelson.
According to NASA, Hubble went straight back to work following its month long outage although some instruments did have to be calibrated before it could get to work. The organisation added that operations which have been suspended since the fault would be rescheduled.
So, barring any other problems, Hubble will be working in tandem with the James Webb Space Telescope which is on track to launch later this year.
Well done to the Hubble team at NASA, tech support is tricky and we can’t imagine having to fix a computer as important as Hubble without being able to interact with it.
[Source – NASA]
