NASA Struggles to Restore Aging Payload Computer on Hubble Space Telescope – May Resort to Backup System

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Hubble Space Telescope Is Deployed

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The Hubble Space Telescope is released on April 25, 1990, from the area shuttle bus Discovery. Avoiding distortions of the environment, Hubble has an unblocked view peering to worlds, stars, and galaxies, some more than 13.4 billion light years away. Credit: NASA/Smithsonian Institution/Lockheed Corporation

NASA continues to work to solve an issue with the Hubble Space Telescope payload computer system that stopped on June 13. After carrying out tests on numerous of the computer system’s memory modules, the outcomes show that a various piece of hardware might have triggered the issue, with the memory mistakes being just a sign. The operations group is examining whether the Standard Interface (STINT) hardware, which bridges interactions in between the computer system’s Central Processing Module (CPM) and other elements, or the CPM itself is accountable for the problem. The group is presently creating tests that will be run in the next couple of days to try to additional isolate the issue and determine a possible option.

This action is essential for identifying what hardware is still working effectively for future referral. If the issue with the payload computer system can’t be repaired, the operations group will be prepared to change to the STINT and CPM hardware onboard the backup payload computer system. The group has actually performed ground tests and operations treatment examines to validate all the commanding needed to carry out that turn on the spacecraft.

If the backup payload computer system’s CPM and STINT hardware is switched on, numerous days will be needed to evaluate the computer system efficiency and bring back regular science operations. The backup computer system has actually not been powered on because its setup in 2009; nevertheless, it was completely evaluated on the ground prior to setup on the spacecraft.

The payload computer system is a NASA Standard Spacecraft Computer-1 (NSSC-1) system integrated in the 1980s that lies on the Science Instrument Command and Data Handling (SI C&DH) system. After 18 years on orbit, the initial SI C&DH experienced a failure in 2008 that postponed the last maintenance objective to Hubble while a replacement was gotten ready for flight. In May 2009, STS-125 was introduced and the astronauts set up the existing system. The replacement consists of initial hardware from the 1980s with 4 independent 64K memory modules of Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) memory. Only one memory module is utilized operationally, with the other 3 acting as backups. All 4 modules can be utilized and accessed from either of the redundant payload computer systems.

Launched in 1990, with more than 30 years of operations, Hubble has actually made observations that have actually recorded creativities around the world and deepened our understanding of the universes.