NASA is yet again struggling to keep the Hubble Space Telescope up and running. According to a report from Wired, the Hubble team is slowly reviving its telescope following multiple instrument failures that prompted a switch to a “safe mode.”
Engineers reactivated the Advanced Camera for Surveys on November 7th, but they’ll have to verify the output of the device before they enable any other affected components. The issue started on October 23rd, when the space agency noticed that instruments weren’t receiving sync messages from the telescope’s control unit.
Consecutive failures for the Hubble telescope
Those communication problems persisted continued for two days, prompting the emergency shutdowns. NASA can’t revive Hubble quickly – rapid power and temperature changes risk shortening Hubble’s lifespan.
The failure is the second in 2021 to prompt an extended shutdown, and that’s on top of previous problems. NASA had to restart the Hubble’s gyroscopes in 2018. The mounting problems suggest the three-decade-old is running out of time, and there’s no Space Shuttle available to fix the orbital outpost.
James Webb to take the skies
Astronomers might not be worried because the James Webb Space Telescope will soon be launching. It will serve as a successor to Hubble, even if it’s not focusing on the same wavelengths. But before it embraces the skies, a new video shared by the European Space Agency (ESA) shows the James Webb Telescope unboxing from its shipping container.
“After its arrival at Pariacabo harbor in French Guiana on 12 October 2021, the James Webb Space Telescope was transported to Europe’s Spaceport and unboxed in the cleanroom. It is now being prepared for its launch on an Ariane 5 rocket in December,” the European Space Agency (ESA) writes.
To enter this cleanroom, engineers have to undergo several lobbies to remove any loose particles for their shoes, hair, and skin. All this is done to make sure no dust particles are left on the telescope.
