One of the most important tools of the connection between the depths of space and our planet. Hubble Space TelescopeIt turned off by itself about two weeks ago. U.S. Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) experts have been looking for ways to get Hubble back up and running for days, but in vain… It seems that the last resort would be to open a computer that has not been used since 2009.
It all started on June 13. The Hubble Space Telescope’s payload computer suddenly shut itself down. This computer, which was built in the 1980s, is briefly described as “Hubble’s brain” because all devices in the spacecraft are controlled and monitored through this computer.
Therefore, when this computer shut down, the telescope went into “sleep mode” until NASA engineers found a solution. NASA, which has tried to wake the computer with three different methods so far, has not been successful yet.
THEY TRIED TO ‘RESTART’ BEFORE, IT DIDN’T WORK…
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First, on June 14, one day after the computer shut down on its own, NASA engineers attempted to reboot the troublesome payload computer. However, this attempt was not successful.
Initial data pointed to a eroding computer memory module as the possible source of the problem. That’s why NASA tried to open one of the three spare modules on the telescope. But the command to run the new module didn’t work.
Thereupon, the Hubble team, which attempted to run both the active module and the backup on June 17, failed again. Testing after this failure revealed that memory problems were a symptom of a real problem. However, NASA still has not been able to determine what this problem is.
NOW THEY ARE TRYING TO CLARIFY THE PROBLEM
The Hubble team’s latest theory is that the problem stems from the computer’s central processor module. The article, published on the blog on NASA’s website on June 22, stated that it is very likely that the module itself or an interface hardware that allows the module to communicate with other parts of the telescope is causing the problem.
“Our team is currently designing some tests over the next few days to clarify the problem and identify a potential solution,” the blog post said.
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DESIGNED IN THE 80’S AND NEVER USED
If NASA cannot solve the problem, the telescope’s backup payload computer will be activated as a last resort. But there is a problem here too. The backup computer in question, like Hubble’s brain, was designed in the 1980s and has not been turned on for 12 years since it was uploaded to the system by astronauts in 2009.
What’s more, even if the backup computer runs smoothly, it will still take several days for NASA to get the telescope up and running.
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Hubble is the first telescope designed to serve in orbit. Launched into planetary orbit in 1990, Hubble is currently the world’s most powerful space telescope. Witnessing the birth and death of many stars, Hubble played a role in the discovery of many moons around Pluto and allowed us to follow the journeys of two interstellar bodies through the Solar System.
Thanks to Hubble’s observations, astronomers had the chance to calculate the age and expansion of the universe and take a look at the twin galaxies that formed just after the Big Bang. Thanks to Hubble, which detected galaxies 13.4 billion light years away, we were able to see the infancy of our universe.
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GETS AGED AND FREQUENTLY SLEEPS
But unfortunately our veteran Hubble is starting to age. Astronauts have visited the telescope five times since the ’90s, repairing or replacing problematic parts. The telescope was last visited by astronauts in 2009. At that time, two parts were changed and Hubble was fitted with a new computer, new batteries, new coating, a new camera and a spectrograph. In this way, while expanding the limits of what Hubble can do, no physical intervention has been made to the telescope since then.
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What’s more, it’s not the first time Hubble has fallen asleep. In March, a software error caused the telescope to go into safe mode. Only then NASA engineers managed to solve the problem in 1 week.
However, this time the mysterious problem has been solved for almost two weeks and the telescope has not been revived. Still, it is thought that there is no problem that would require astronauts to go to the telescope and repair it manually.
COMPUTERS MORE PRIMARY THAN MOBILE PHONES
NASA Astrophysics Director Paul Hertz told NPR that the reason for the delay was “difficulty trying to fix something that was spinning 400 miles above your head, not in your lab.”
“If this computer were in the lab, we could plug in monitors and test inputs and outputs from all sides. So we would diagnose the problem quickly,” said Hertz. “Compared to your mobile phones, these are very primitive computers. The problem is that we can’t see or touch them,” Hertz said, referring to the computer that hasn’t been turned on since 2009.
“Our team has several contingency plans that we haven’t tried yet, and one of them is highly likely to work,” a NASA spokesperson told Insider.
“Hubble is one of NASA’s most important astrophysics missions. It has been in operation for 31 years and NASA hopes it will continue to work for many more years,” said the spokesperson. Age isn’t a decision-making factor.”
WILL JAMES WEBB THROW HUBBLE’S SHOE?
On the other hand, NASA plans to put a new, more advanced space telescope into orbit in November. The field of view of this new toy, called the James Webb Space Telescope, will be 15 times that of Hubble.
James Webb’s inauguration doesn’t mean Hubble will retire, but sooner or later it will. Anticipating this possibility, NASA placed a mechanism on Hubble during its mission in 2009. Thanks to this mechanism, the telescope will be able to be removed from orbit when it comes to retirement. As a result, Hubble, which will quickly fall to Earth, will start to catch fire as a result of friction in the atmosphere. However, it is not yet known when this sad farewell will take place.
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