Oct 30 2008
From The Space Library
Regular scientific observations resumed on NASA’s HST after engineers repaired a broken datarelay channel. The channel, the Side-A relay of Hubble’s Science Instrument Control and Data Handling System, had failed on 27 September 2008. Without the channel, HST had not been able to transmit most of its images and scientific data to Earth. Engineers had encountered some challenges in switching to the backup Side-B channel, which HST had not used since it launched in 1990. On the second attempt, however, the engineers succeeded in reactivating the Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 and one of the three cameras on the Advanced Camera for Surveys. They intended to activate the near-infrared camera and spectrometer in November 2008. NASA announced that it would reschedule a servicing mission to update HST and to extend its mission through 2013. NASA had originally scheduled the servicing mission for 14 October 2008 but had postponed it when the data-relay channel failed. The failure had prompted NASA’s decision to install a spare data-handling unit, rather than to rely on the backup system indefinitely. Because its engineers would have to test the spare data-handling unit before certifying it for flight, NASA postponed the earliest possible launch date to May 2009.
Space.com, “Hubble Telescope Photographs a Perfect Cosmic 10,” 30 October 2008, http://www.space.com/6044-hubble-telescope-photographs-perfect-cosmic-10.html (accessed 11 August 2011); Todd Halvorson, “Hubble Operating, Sending Images,” Florida Today (Brevard, FL), 31 October 2008.
NASA announced that Assistant Administrator for External Relations Michael F. O’Brien had signed a joint statement of intent with Munki Lee, the Republic of Korea’s (South Korea’s) Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology (MEST) Director-General for Big Science. The statement of intent, signed in Seoul, was an agreement between NASA and MEST to conduct dialogues that would identify new cooperative endeavors related to aeronautics research, Earth science, human spaceflight, planetary science, and space exploration. The agencies expected that they might discuss topics for possible collaborative endeavors, such as planning exploration architecture, exchanging research analysis and data, and contributing hardware and scientific instruments to future missions. They might also consider involvement in the Global Exploration Strategy, a discussion between 14 space agencies to increase cooperation in space exploration; the International Lunar Network, an initiative to establish a robotic network on the Moon; and the International Space Exploration Coordination Group, an international effort to coordinate space exploration activities. NASA and MEST expected to prepare a report after 8 months of dialogue.
NASA, “NASA and Korea Sign Statement of Intent for Future Cooperation,” news release 08-277, 30 October 2008, http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2008/oct/HQ_08277_Korea_Agreement.html (accessed 8 August 2011).
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