William Atkins
Tuesday, 30 September 2008 19:54
Science -
Space
Page 2 of 3
According to the September 29, 2008 NASA media release, “
NASA to Discuss Hubble Anomaly and Servicing Mission Launch Delay,”
“Shortly after 8 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 27, the telescope's spacecraft computer issued commands to safe the payload computer and science instruments when errors were detected within the Science Data Formatter. An attempt to reset the formatter and obtain a dump of the payload computer’s memory was unsuccessful.”
Thus, NASA ground controllers have now determined that Side A no longer functions and have stopped trying to regain communications from the Hubble through this side of the CUSDF.
NASA states that the transition from Side A to Side B is a complex operation.
The procedure requires the switching of five other modules within the system to Side B. Unfortunately, Side B has not been activated since they were first tested some time in the late 1980s to early 1990s.
Currently, the Hubble team at the Goddard Space Flight Center has started to switch over the control system of Hubble to Side B. They expect a full switch-over to be completed by the end of the week.
If successful, full communications with Hubble would be restored.
However, even if data can be downloaded to Earth, a back-up system will not be available in case Side B fails. Since Side A operated for so long, there is every indication that Side B will do the same.
Why did Side A fail? Please read page three.
