Hubble is back in business.
After a problem brought its science instruments down, the Hubble Space Telescope is now fully functioning. The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph, the final of the telescope's instruments to be brought online following the recent troubles, was retrieved by NASA's Hubble team yesterday (Dec. 6), the agency said today (Dec. 7).
"The
team will continue to build and test adjustments to instrument software that
will allow them to undertake science operations even if they experience several
lost synchronization messages in the future," NASA said in the
announcement.
Hubble had
a problem with its internal communications synchronisation in late October. All
four of the scope's science instruments were turned off, although Hubble
remained operational for the time being. The Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS),
the first of the instruments to return to service, was functioning by Nov. 7,
while the other four remained in "safe mode" for protection.
The Hubble
team will keep working to prevent such problems, with the first step being a
software update for Hubble's Cosmic Origins Spectrograph instrument, which will
be installed in mid-December. NASA said in a statement that Hubble's other
science instruments will receive software updates in the coming months.
Another
powerful telescope, the James Webb Space Telescope, will soon join Hubble in
space, thanks to a collaboration between NASA, the European Space Agency, and
the Canadian Space Agency. Webb uses infrared technology to make unique
observations that supplement Hubble's.
"With
the Webb Telescope set to launch later this month, NASA anticipates the two
telescopes working together well beyond this decade, increasing our knowledge
of the cosmos even further," NASA said in the release.
0 Comments