To fix a telescope built in the 1980s, the team had to draw on the knowledge of staff from across its lengthy history. Working from mission control at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, as well as remotely due to COVID-19 restrictions, engineers collaborated to figure out the cause of the problem.Ĭomplicating matters, Hubble was launched in 1990 and has been observing the universe for over 31 years. The Hubble team moved quickly to investigate what ailed the observatory, which orbits about 340 miles (547 kilometers) above Earth. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center However, the Hubble team methodically identified the possible cause and how to compensate for it. On June 13, 2021, the Hubble Space Telescope’s payload computer unexpectedly came to a halt. That meant the telescope would no longer be doing science while mission specialists analyzed the situation. When the main computer failed to receive a signal from the payload computer, it automatically placed Hubble's science instruments into safe mode. Hubble's payload computer, which controls and coordinates the observatory's onboard science instruments, halted suddenly on June 13. Other initial targets for Hubble included globular star clusters and aurorae on the giant planet Jupiter. These snapshots, from a program led by Julianne Dalcanton of the University of Washington in Seattle, feature a galaxy with unusual extended spiral arms and the first high-resolution glimpse at an intriguing pair of colliding galaxies. Through their efforts, Hubble will continue its 32nd year of discovery, and we will continue to learn from the observatory's transformational vision." "This is a moment to celebrate the success of a team truly dedicated to the mission. "I'm thrilled to see that Hubble has its eye back on the universe, once again capturing the kind of images that have intrigued and inspired us for decades," said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. The telescope's targets this past weekend included the unusual galaxies shown in the images above. Science observations restarted the afternoon of Saturday, July 17.
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