Debris In Switch Suspected Culprit

A voltage drop had scientists charged with operating the Hubble orbiting telescope worried enough to shut it down. That's the second time Hubble has been shut down this year.

But technicians believe they've found the problem.

NASA engineers narrowed it down to a switch controlling power to one of three detectors on the Advance Camera for Surveys. They believe a bit of debris caught in the relay was responsible.

After toggling the switch on and off a few time, voltage returned to nominal levels. Funny, my computer does the same thing some times!

The Space Telescope Science Institute, charged with coordinating use of the orbital device, says it will carefully monitor the telescope's performance over the next week.

The Hubble utilizes three electronic camera and an array of filters and dispersers allowing detection of light from UV to near-infrared. It's position in orbit makes it immune to the atmospheric interference and light pollution ground-based telescopes must contend with.

Aside from it's ability to see farther into space than any other telescope, dramatic images of deep-space objects, such as the one below of the Eagle Nebula taken by Hubble, continue to fascinate and inspire astronomers the world over.

NASA canceled a mission to service the Hubble following the Columbia disaster in 2003. Public pressure and repeated requests to reconsider from scientists has prompted NASA to schedule a meeting later this month to discuss the possibility of another Hubble service mission.

FMI: www.nasa.gov