spacetoday.net: Hubble ready to resume observations

Posted: Fri, Oct 24, 2008, 8:12 AM ET (1212 GMT)
Hubble Space Telescope (NASA)

NASA is on track to restore the Hubble Space Telescope to scientific operations as soon as this weekend, agency officials said Thursday. The orbiting telescope's science data handing computer was reactivated Thursday, clearing the way for observations using Hubble's Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 instrument on Saturday. The telescope's main science data handling computer failed in late September, and engineers last week tried to switch to a backup "Side B" computer on the telescope. However, problems with the changeover, which appear to have been caused by an "electrical event" that caused no permanent damage, put that transfer on hold. The computer failure last month led NASA to postpone a Hubble servicing mission that was to launch this month so that the crew can train to replace the failed computer as part of their repair work on the telescope.