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NASA puts the Hubble telescope back into safe mode due to a mysterious bug

The Hubble Space Telescope, one of NASA’s most important assets, had to be temporarily shut down and put into “safe mode” on March 8. The shuttle launched into orbit in 1990 in a joint project between NASA and the European Space Agency (European Space Agency) has been operating and serving scientists around the world for nearly two decades. But work is now on hold. NASA announced the news via its official Twitter account, stating that the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) entered safe mode due to an onboard software bug around 4:00 am EST Sunday. The agency confirmed that “all scientific systems appear normal and that Hubble is safe and stable.” Comments will be effective until further notice.

The Hubble Space Telescope has celebrated its 30th anniversary in space. Image courtesy: NASA

Talking to Fox NewsNASA has informed the media that its team is working to ensure that Hubble returns to science operations as soon as possible. “The Hubble Space Telescope is in good condition, but remains in safe mode as a precaution while the team works to fully understand what went wrong on Sunday and the associated response in safe mode,” they said.

This is not the first time it’s HST Put in safe mode. Some technical errors in 2018 forced the agencies involved to put the telescope in safe mode for a short period of time. Then the agency explained what safe mode really is. It is a scenario that helps to place the telescope in a “stable configuration that stops scientific observations.” It also places HST’s solar panels towards the sun, which are powered by solar energy, to refuel. Soon it will work as before.

HST has been instrumental in several astronomical discoveries since its launch into orbit. It is the first major optical telescope to work directly from space, giving you an obstructive view of the vast universe. It helps us study not only our solar system, but also distant galaxies.

a mi Mashable, “Hubble has made more than 1.3 million observations since its mission began in 1990.”

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