The Hubble Space Telescope operated by NASA and the European Space Agency is responsible for many scientific experiments and discoveries regarding our Universe. The telescope has been looking into the depths of the Cosmos for more than 30 years, and as we all know, nothing lasts forever.
According to NDTV.com, NASA said on Friday that Hubble has been inactive for a few days. But don’t worry, no laser attacks coming from alien spaceships are responsible for the event. The problem was generated by a payload computer that ceased to work last Sunday, according to NASA. More precisely, a degrading computer memory module represented the source of the computer’s issue. There was an attempt to switch to a back-up memory module, but with no success.
The telescope and its instruments are “in good health”
NASA insisted that Hubble along with its scientific “toys” are fine. The Ameerican Space Agency also stated:
The payload computer’s purpose is to control and coordinate the science instruments and monitor them for health and safety purposes.
While we’re all waiting for the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope to take Hubble’s place, there’s no telling for sure when it will occur. The launch has already been delayed several times, and it’s currently expected to happen this year in November.
James Webb is considered a more technologically advanced telescope than Hubble, as scientists are aiming to use it for taking a closer look at galaxies and their stars. With the next-generation telescope, scientists also hope to find more answers about the very first stars that illuminated the Cosmos. If they succeed, they could also uncover other secrets about the Big Bang, the major event that triggered the birth of the Universe without apparently having a direct cause.
The Hubble Space Telescope was named after the great American astronomer Edwin Hubble, who discovered way back in the 1920s that the Universe is expanding.
