The Hubble Telescope’s payload computer is down. NASA has spent days trying to fix it.

NASA has expended extra than a week hoping to deal with the Hubble Telescope’s pc components troubles. 

© AP
FILE – In this picture presented by NASA/JSC, astronauts Steven L. Smith and John M. Grunsfeld are photographed during an extravehicular exercise (EVA) through the December 1999 Hubble servicing mission of STS-103, flown by Discovery. The Hubble House Telescope has been blindsided by laptop difficulty, with all astronomical viewing halted, NASA claimed Wednesday, June 16, 2021. The orbiting observatory has been idle due to the fact Sunday when a 1980s-era personal computer that controls the science devices shut down, possibly mainly because of a negative memory board. (NASA/JSC by way of AP, File) ORG XMIT: NY156

The issue: A 1980s-period payload computer system, which is intended to handle and coordinate scientific instruments aboard the spacecraft and watch them for health and safety purposes, stopped doing work June 13, according to a NASA assertion.

Load Error

“After the halt happened … the key computer system stopped obtaining a “keep-alive” sign, which is a typical handshake between the payload and main spacecraft pcs to point out all is nicely,” NASA mentioned in the assertion.

Start out the day smarter. Get all the information you need to have in your inbox just about every morning.

The payload computer system is section of the Science Instrument Command and Knowledge Managing module, which was replaced in 2009 for the duration of the past astronaut-servicing mission to the Hubble, which introduced in 1990.

Mannequin to room: NASA is sending a mannequin to place. Here’s how you can enable name it. 

The principal laptop or computer has put all the scientific devices into harmless method. An endeavor to restart the computer the following day failed.

Additional makes an attempt to switch to a again-up memory module and get diagnostic info on each modules also unsuccessful. 

© -, ESA/HUBBLE/AFP via Getty Photographs
A handout photograph designed out there on May perhaps 27, 2021 by the European Room Company (ESA) demonstrates the trailing arms of NGC 2276, a spiral galaxy 120 million gentle-a long time absent in the constellation of Cepheus captured by the NASA/ESA Hubble Place Telescope.

The Hubble Space Telescope operations workforce informed Usa TODAY that first indications pointed to a degrading laptop or computer memory module as the supply of the halt, but even more facts selection is ongoing.

“The operations team will be operating exams and accumulating far more information on the program to further isolate the trouble. The science devices will continue to be in a secure manner condition right up until the difficulty is fixed,” the statement explained.

UFO report: New NASA main won’t assume UFOs are an optical illusion, in accordance to job interview

The team informed United states of america Today that the computer system has on various occasions locked up or froze. In these cases, the personal computer has been restarted and typical science operations had been restored. 

“This is related to your laptop computer periodically freezing and needing a reboot,” the team said, introducing that there is not a firm timeline for bringing the personal computer on the net again.

This posting initially appeared on United states Currently: The Hubble Telescope’s payload computer system is down. NASA has invested times hoping to resolve it.