Primary Camera on Hubble Space Telescope Shuts Down
I was sorry to see this. The primary Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) has provided such a “big bang” (pun intended) to a huge array of images from the earliest parts of the universe.
It was the most heavily in demand from the astronomical community and accounted for two-thirds of the latest proposals for observing time on the Hubble, said Preston Burch, associate director and program manager for the Hubble Space Telescope at Goddard.
Especially after it’s given us pictures like this:
(click to enlarge)
And this:
(click to enlarge)
But perhaps there’s an upside:
However, all is not lost. Next year NASA plans to send space shuttle astronauts to upgrade the popular telescope in a mission to install new instruments that will actually exceed the capabilities of the current system.
In the meantime, astronomers must fall back on the 16-year-old Hubble’s other instruments.
“So, clearly the observations will continue, science will continue, but it’s a great loss, no doubt. It’s a great loss because this was a fantastic camera that just produced incredible science,” said astronomer Mario Livio at the Space Telescope Science Institute, which coordinates use of the Hubble by the scientific community.
I guess we shouldn’t complain - the ACS system was designed for a five year life. It was installed in 2002. NASA noted “That’s typically the design life of most of these instruments and it’s pretty well met that.” Wow. A very well spec’d out timeline. That’s a tight parameter to be so close to target. The Mars Rover mission is way over the expected end-of-life timeline.
How do they engineer time constraints that predictably?
The Hubble telescope primary camera has shut down several times before. It has been successfully restarted each time.
I read that they are planning to attempt a primary camera restart again perhaps as soon as this weekend.
Dennis
Comment by Dennis | January 31, 2007
I’m looking forward to the new camera. More, better, and all that. I think the idea that they can develop something that has such a finite, specific life span is interesting when it lasts just that time.
Comment by madconductor | January 31, 2007
I thought that was standard operating procedure … i.e. The development of something that has such a finite, specific life spam … at least that has been my experience here on earth, where the stuff I buy craps out the day after the warranty expires…
Comment by Dennis | February 1, 2007