NASA’s iconic telescope had to shut down unexpectedly due to a software glitch.
“At 4:00 am EST (4:00 pm Hanoi time) on March 7, the Hubble Space Telescope was put into safe mode due to a software error on the board. All other scientific systems are normal and stable. We are working to get the device up and running soon, ”NASA said in a statement on Twitter.
Hubble was launched into Earth orbit by the Space Shuttle Discovery in April 1990. The initial vision of the device was relatively blurry but this problem was corrected by astronauts in 1993. Since then, the telescope has had excellent efficiency of operation. imaging and gave a lot of detection.
Safe Mode is activated on Hubble whenever astronauts detect an anomaly that could threaten the life of the device. In the past, this iconic space telescope had to be shut down several times, but most of the time this was due to minor malfunctions.
In October 2018, Hubble is also due to activate Safe Mode and suspend operations for three weeks to troubleshoot the gyroscope, which is used to orient and secure the telescope in orbit.
Hubble has played an important role in space exploration for the past three decades, exceeding the expected lifespan of 15 years, but NASA is not yet ready to say goodbye. Astronomers want to see it in action for a while, at least until James Webb’s successor device is deployed, slated for late October this year.
