NASA is preparing to switch key systems aboard the Hubble Space Telescope to backup hardware to bypass a failure that has crippled it.
On June 13, the Hubble payload computer unexpectedly failed, forcing the telescope’s science hardware into a safe mode configuration. An initial investigation identified one of four independent memory modules as the cause. However, when the module’s bypass operations failed to rectify the problem, NASA engineers were forced to look elsewhere.
After a weeks-long investigation, a June 30 NASA update identified the scientific instrument data processing and control unit as the most likely culprit for the failure. Despite having a rough idea of where to look, the update admitted that the problem could be with “a few pieces of hardware.”
The two most likely culprits are the Command Unit / Science Data Formatter (CU / SDF), which sends and formats commands and data, and the Power Control Unit, which is designed to provide constant voltage power to the hardware in the computer. payload computer.
Teams spent early July designing and testing operating procedures, controls, and other related items needed to perform the switchover to bypass affected hardware.
In a July 12 update, NASA announced that it has completed testing on a high-fidelity simulator and is ready to proceed with the operation to make the switch later this week.
As NASA prepares to switch to backup hardware to work around the issue, the investigation into the cause of the payload computer failure is ongoing.
