The Hubble telescope has been out for several weeks

Hubble is no longer responding! For three weeks, the space telescope that has been scanning the universe for more than thirty years, has had computer problems. Hubble’s onboard computer, which allows it to experiment with its instruments, no longer responds to instructions sent from Earth by NASA technicians who take care of the telescope.

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Fixing this type, remotely, on an object that rotates above our heads at an altitude of 600 km is not easy. After the first failure, NASA is not despairing of regaining control, with new tests scheduled for this week.

Hubble, which celebrates 31 years of service, remains an iconic instrument that has revolutionized our view of the universe. “There are two aspects, the scientific aspect is very important of courseEric Lagadec, president of the French Society for Astronomy and Astrophysics, confirms. This made it possible Including measuring the age of the universe or making measurements about the expansion of the universe.”

The second aspect corresponds to the majestic images of space taken by the telescope, the astronomer explains: “It is the iconic aspect of this telescope that has made the images truly iconic. There is the wonderful picture of the Pillars of Creation where we see a region where stars are forming in all these colors.”

“I remember receiving a book over 20 years ago with images from the Hubble Space Telescope.Eric Lagadec says, And that’s one of the things that made me want to do astronomy. ”

A new space telescope, James Webb, is scheduled to be put into orbit at the end of 2021. Presented as the “big brother” of the Hubble telescope, it will allow to observe the distant universe with unparalleled precision.