Hubble still hovers over our planet, but its camera stopped working back in June possibly due to a bad transistor. The telescope/spacecraft was launched back in 1990 and has been the subject of prior rescue efforts. Fortunately, NASA was able to work around the problem and get the camera back online. "This is the best possible news," said Ed Ruitberg, deputy associate director for the Astrophysics Division at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. "We were confident we could work through the camera issue, and now we can get back to doing more incredible science with the camera." (Click here for more on the story.)
In addition to a bad transistor, NASA noted that the Hubble needs new batteries and gyroscopes to remain operational beyond next year. With the Shuttle delays and International Space Station backlog, it will be interesting if NASA can find the time and funds to make the necessary repairs. We have been well served by Hubble, including the fantastic picture of Jupiter above, and it would be nice if we could keep it going for many more years.
Update: NASA has decided to send a rescue mission to save the Hubble. The overall mission is slated for May 2008 and is expected to cost $900 million and last 11 days. With the repairs, the Hubble should remain active until at least 2013. Visit this link for more information.
