Hubble servicing mission is delayed again.

Yes, once again the hubble servicing is delayed, this time it is due to some anomalies in the data storage and transmission facilities of the telescope, affecting its functioning.

significant Hubble Space Telescope anomaly that occurred this weekend affecting the storage and transmittal of science data to Earth. Fixing the problem will delay next month's space shuttle Atlantis' Hubble servicing mission.

It seems that the data formatter of side A malfunctioned and they had to switch all operations to the data formatter on side B.

Additional testing demonstrates Side A no longer supports the transfer of science data to the ground. A transition to the redundant Side B should restore full functionality to the science instruments and operations.

All efforts to bring the bring the formatter back online failed,

An attempt to reset the formatter and obtain a dump of the payload computer’s memory was unsuccessful.

So, scientists are thinking of flying replacement instrument to hubble after delaying the mission.

Hubble could return to science operations in the immediate future if the reconfiguration is successful. Even so, the agency is investigating the possibility of flying a back-up replacement system, which could be installed during the servicing mission.

Here's, the link,
www.nasa.gov...

Just found that here, too:

www.news.com.au...

The most likely new launch date for the mission to Hubble would be in February next year, the officials said.

On Saturday, Science Data Formatter side A, the unit on Hubble that took data from five instruments, formatted it and sent it back to the ground, providing NASA with spectacular images of space, "totally failed", Preston Burch, Hubble manager at Goddard space flight centre near Washington said.

I'm guessing the whole thing could possibly just be abandoned.

Originally posted by mattguy404
I'm guessing the whole thing could possibly just be abandoned.

Yes, I accept your opinion, the money spent on the servicing missions so far would have been more than that cost incurred in designing the telescope itself, and now even the technology has progressed far better, so it would have been great on their part if they had deorbited it and launched a new space telescope.

I would think that they would put more effort and money into fast tracking the The James Webb Space Telescope which will replace Hubble in 2010.

But then again Hubble has been an invaluable asset for the last 10 or so years so I guess it deserves a graceful (and still operating) retirement.

reply to post by WatchNLearn


JWST will be launched only in 2013, and is in construction, and sure, it will be a replacement for hubble when it is deorbited in 2013, but what I wanted to say is that they should have done this long ago.

[edit on 30/9/08 by peacejet]

reply to post by WatchNLearn


Oh, turned out to be a double post, anyway, the JWST is in construction and the critical components are already ready for space flight.

Here's a link to the official website,

www.jwst.nasa.gov...

[edit on 30/9/08 by peacejet]