Washington, 20 Juni
NASA continues to work on the payload computer on the Hubble Space Telescope, which has been disrupted, possibly due to a deteriorating memory module.
NASA said that Hubble, which has been observing the universe for the past 30 years, encountered a problem with its computer on June 13. Attempts to restart the computer on June 14 failed.
“NASA continues to work on the issue with the payload computer on the Hubble Space Telescope. The operations team will conduct tests and gather more information about the system to further isolate the problem. Scientific instruments will remain in safe mode until the issue is resolved. ,” the space agency said in a statement. The telescope itself and scientific instruments are in good health.
The agency’s preliminary results point to a degrading computer memory module as the source of the discontinued computer. When the operations team tried to switch to the memory backup unit, the command to start the backup unit failed to complete.
Another attempt was made on both modules to get more diagnostic information when trying to reconnect these memory modules online. However, NASA said the attempt was unsuccessful.
The payload computer is a 1980s NASA Standard Spacecraft Computer-1 (NSSC-1) stationed in the Data Processing Unit and Science Tool Command. The purpose of computers is to control, coordinate, and monitor scientific instruments for health and safety purposes.
This is completely redundant as the second computer, along with the associated hardware, is in orbit to switch if a problem occurs. Both devices can access and use one of four independent memory modules, each containing 64KB. of metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) memory. The payload computer only uses one memory unit operationally at a time, while the other three serve as backups.
The purpose of the payload computer is to control and coordinate scientific instruments aboard the spacecraft. After a shutdown on Sunday, the main computer stopped receiving the “keep on” signal, the standard handshake between the payload and the spacecraft’s main computer to indicate that all was well.
Then the main computer automatically puts all scientific instruments into safe mode configuration. Staff at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, control center staff restarted the payload computer on Monday, June 14, but soon encountered the same problem, the space agency said. Ian
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