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DannyB [soylentnews.org] writes:

NASA revives ailing Hubble Space Telescope with switch to backup computer [space.com]

The Hubble Space Telescope [space.com] has powered on once again! NASA was able to successfully switch to a backup computer on the observatory on Friday (July 16) following weeks of computer problems.

On June 13, Hubble shut down [space.com] after a payload computer from the 1980s that handles the telescope's science instruments suffered a glitch. Now, over a month since Hubble ran into issues, which the Hubble team thinks were caused [space.com] by the spacecraft's Power Control Unit (PCU), NASA switched to backup hardware and was able to switch the scope back on.

With Hubble back online with this backup hardware, the Hubble team is keeping a close watch to make sure that everything works correctly, according to a statement from NASA. [nasa.gov]

[....] Included in this switch to backup hardware, the team brought the backup PCU online as well as the backup Command Unit/Science Data Formatter (CU/SDF), which is on the other side of the Science Instrument and Command & Data Handling (SI C&DH) unit, according to the statement. The PCU diverts power to the SI C&DH while the CU/SDF formats and then sends data and commands throughout the scope.

Other pieces of hardware [space.com] were also swapped to their backup versions to allow the telescope to function.

See also:

Hubble is back!’ Famed space telescope has new lease on life after computer swap appears to fix glitch [sciencemag.org]

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