Hubble science instruments still out after going down 3 times in a week
- Reference: 1701352809
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2023/11/30/hubble_science_instruments_down_for/
- Source link:
According to [1]NASA, the instruments are stable and telescope is in good health, but a faulty reading from one of its gyros caused it to automatically enter safe mode, suspending science operations once again, on November 23rd.
Directions to resume operations must come from the ground.
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Among the paused instruments onboard are an advanced camera for surveys, a cosmic origins spectograph, a space telescope imaging spectrograph, wide field camera, fine guidance sensor and near infrared camera and multi-object spectrometer.
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The November 23rd incident was the third time in a week such incident had occurred. The misbehaving gyro caused the space telescope to enter safe mode on November 19th and November 21st. Both incidents were recoverable.
However, its now apparent that gyro is going to need some fixing. NASA revealed it is running tests to understand the issue and come up with a solution.
[5]Software picks out more satellite photobombs in Hubble image
[6]James Webb Space Telescope suffers another hitch: Instrument down
[7]SpaceX celebrates Starship launch as a success – even with the explosion
[8]Two sats, one customer: Japan's NTT signs up for Amazon's space internet
Hubble can operate with one gyro rather than its normal six, or current three operational ones, but having three working gyros is more efficient than one.
The gyros are needed to point the telescope. They measure the speed Hubble is turning as it shifts between targets and help the spacecraft aim. Each gyro contains a wheel, which is mounted in a sealed cylinder that is floating in a thick fluid, that spins at 19,200 rotations per minute on gas bearings. Electronics inside the gyro detect small movements from the wheel's axis.
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Hubble has so far had a good 33-year run. It was last serviced in 2009, when it had its six gyros installed in a 12-day space shuttle mission. At that time, it also [10]received new batteries, a science computer, a refurbished fine guidance sensor, new insulation on three electronic bays and a device added to its base to facilitate its de-orbit when it is finally put out to pasture.
NASA said it "anticipates" Hubble will continue throughout this decade and possibly into the next. The space telescope is currently [11]migrating from its intended orbit thanks to atmospheric drag. It is expected to drop to 500 kilometers above Earth by 2025 after being placed at 569 km in 1990. At the rate it is falling and failing any fixes, it could reenter Earth's atmosphere in the mid-30s. ®
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[1] https://science.nasa.gov/missions/hubble/nasas-hubble-space-telescope-pauses-science-due-to-gyro-issue/
[2] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2ZWi-tHqefnAmQfGrrsT70gAAAAg&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
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[5] https://www.theregister.com/2023/06/13/software_picks_out_more_satellite/
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2023/01/26/jwst_instrument_failure/
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2023/11/20/spacex_celebrates_starship_explosion/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2023/11/29/ntt_amazon_kuiper/
[9] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44ZWi-tHqefnAmQfGrrsT70gAAAAg&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[10] https://science.nasa.gov/mission/hubble/observatory/missions-to-hubble/servicing-mission-4/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2023/05/11/hubble_space_telescope_rescue/
[12] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Re: Boosting
Hubble telescope has had an excellent run, it is still capable of excellent science, so hopefully NASA can be persuaded to do another maintenance mission.
(Fingers crossed.)
Re: Boosting
The cost of maintenance missions exceed the cost of sending up a newer replacement. The best thing Hubble has done for the last 30 years has been to be that BIG sciency thing that the common man has been aware of. The 'not the best' thing that it has done has been to be the best science for the money spent on it (including maintenance missions).
Bang for buck it would have been better to launch Hubble 2, 3, 4 & 5 instead of each of the maintenance missions. At times there would have been 3 or more of the Hubble series in operation, with the newer ones far more capable than the older ones.
Re: Boosting
The upgrades have replaced vast amounts of the telescope over the years, but I'm not sure you could reasonably have built several new versions and launched those for less than the maintenance costs.
There were five servicing missions (STS-61,82,103,109,125) - the first being to install COSTAR, and you'd *never* have got the budget for an all new system then.
Could we launch something better and cheaper now?
Well - we could launch something new - the F9 fairing is certainly large enough (other rockets exist and have different fairing sizes, I just picked the most common launch vehicle of the moment).
But how much would it cost to build an all new instrument? It would be substantially more than the cost of replacing a few gyros, batteries, and other items with limited life.
If we really wanted to we could even leave a small thruster unit on the base for orbit maintenance.
JWST launch cost ~200 million, but the spacecraft cost multiple billions.
I know - it was more complex, but that's the kind of thing we'd want to to do improve on Hubble. You can launch an awful lot of maintenance missions, upgrading instruments etc, for the cost of a new bird.
Re: Boosting
NASA priorities are SLS, Blue Moon then anything essential for Artemis except the deep space tracking network. Hubble would be low down on the list but there is one [1]opportunity for a privately funded mission.
[1] https://www.cnbc.com/2022/09/29/nasa-spacex-jared-isaacman-studying-hubble-telescope-extension.html
No budget, however...
Jared Isaacman has offered to fund a SpaceX Dragon to boost the orbit and possibly carry out some repairs. Not sure how far that got though.
I hope someone will step up to the plate
If replacing the gyros is all Hubble needs to continue functioning for another decade, then I hope some billionnaire somewhere will find enough loose change in his couch to make it happen.
Obviously, Space is now beyond government budgets, but the Science is still necessary. No use talking to politicians, so billionnaires is where it's at.
Just launch a replacement
Should be about the same cost as a spy satellite, and we seem to always have budget for launching those.
And even have a few spares sitting around... https://www.space.com/16000-spy-satellites-space-telescopes-nasa.html
Boosting
Isn't a huge challenge, but getting out of an attached capsule in an EVA rated suit to fix it... that's something we aren't nearly as good as.