Hubble camera malfunctions
Posted: Mon, Jun 26, 2006, 7:22 AM ET (1122 GMT)
The major camera on the Hubble Space Telescope malfunctioned last week, although instrument engineers are optimistic that the problem can be resolved. The Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) stopped working June 19 after an apparent power failure. Engineers are troubleshooting the problem, checking to see if a component on the instrument's low-voltage power supply failed or if a cosmic ray caused a software glitch. Both problems can be resolved from the ground, either by switching to a backup power supply or simply rebooting the camera's software, although switching to a new, untried power supply could result in several weeks of calibration work before the camera can be used again. If those efforts don't solve the problem, then the instrument may be lost.
The major camera on the Hubble Space Telescope malfunctioned last week, although instrument engineers are optimistic that the problem can be resolved. The Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) stopped working June 19 after an apparent power failure. Engineers are troubleshooting the problem, checking to see if a component on the instrument's low-voltage power supply failed or if a cosmic ray caused a software glitch. Both problems can be resolved from the ground, either by switching to a backup power supply or simply rebooting the camera's software, although switching to a new, untried power supply could result in several weeks of calibration work before the camera can be used again. If those efforts don't solve the problem, then the instrument may be lost.
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