The Hubble Space Telescope is experiencing a computer problem and is not collecting scientific data. Engineers are working on a fix, but it’s proving difficult.
The beloved Hubble Space Telescope is experiencing a computer problem and is currently not collecting scientific data. NASA engineers are working on fixing the issue, but it’s proving difficult to get the 30-year-old telescope operating as it should. The problem began on Sunday, June 13, when the Hubble payload computer stopped working. This computer, built in the 1980s, controls all of the telescope’s science instruments, so it’s an essential part of the Hubble system. When the computer stopped responding, all of the science instruments were automatically put into safe mode. The first thing the NASA Hubble team did to try and fix the problem was just what we all do when a computer stops working — turn it off and turn it on again. They restarted the computer on Monday, June 14, but that didn’t fix the issue.
