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2021-06-19 -Obits-
1980s computer of 1974 technology on Hubble might be toast!
[NASA] Operations Continue to Restore Payload Computer on NASA's Hubble Space Telescope

NASA continues to work on resolving an issue with the payload computer on the Hubble Space Telescope. The operations team will be running tests and collecting more information on the system to further isolate the problem. The science instruments will remain in a safe mode state until the issue is resolved. The telescope itself and science instruments remain in good health.

The computer halted on Sunday, June 13. An attempt to restart the computer failed on Monday, June 14. Initial indications pointed to a degrading computer memory module as the source of the computer halt. When the operations team attempted to switch to a back-up memory module, however, the command to initiate the backup module failed to complete. Another attempt was conducted on both modules Thursday evening to obtain more diagnostic information while again trying to bring those memory modules online. However, those attempts were not successful.

The payload computer is a NASA Standard Spacecraft Computer-1 (NSSC-1) system built in the 1980s that is located on the Science Instrument Command and Data Handling unit. The computer’s purpose is to control and coordinate the science instruments and monitor them for health and safety purposes. It is fully redundant in that a second computer, along with its associated hardware, exists on orbit that can be switched over to in the event of a problem. Both computers can access and use any of four independent memory modules, which each contain 64K of Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) memory. The payload computer uses only one memory module operationally at a time, with the other three serving as backups.

Launched in 1990, Hubble has contributed greatly to our understanding of the universe over the past 30 years.

The NASA Standard Spacecraft Computer-1 (NSSC-1) is a computer developed as a standard component for the MultiMission Modular Spacecraft at the Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) in 1974. The basic spacecraft was built of standardized components and modules, for cost reduction. The computer had 18 bits of core memory or plated wire memory; up to 64 k. 18 bits was chosen because it gave more accuracy (x4) for data over a 16 bit machine. Floating point was not supported.

The NSSC-1 had an assembler/loader/simulator toolset hosted on Xerox XDS 930 (24- bit) mainframe. An associated simulator ran at 1/1000 of real time. The Xerox computer was interfaced to a breadboard OBP in a rack. (Which, of course, operated at room temperature ambient conditions). Later, the Software Development and Validation Facility (SDVF) added a flight dynamics simulator hosted on a PDP-11/70 minicomputer.[2]

A purpose-built NSSC-1 Flight Executive was developed and used on the Solar Maximum Mission (SMM) and subsequent flights. It time sliced tasks at 25 ms. It included a stored command processor that handled both absolute time and relative time commands. It included a status buffer that could be telemetered back to the ground. It required a lot of memory, typically more than half of that available, leaving the rest for applications and spare.[3]
Posted by 3dc 2021-06-19 02:14|| || Front Page|| [8 views ]  Top

#1 


BTW: Hubble was based on KH-11+ technology.
Look up the Key Hole Spy Sat program , around since the 70's or Google Maps Sat view and utter the word "What Privacy?"

Posted by NN2N1 2021-06-19 06:21||   2021-06-19 06:21|| Front Page Top

#2 Gee..if we only had a re-usable space plane to say go there and fix it. Or if we actually a National Air and Space Admin that cared about Air and Space rather than systemic racism and woke politics..too much to ask for these days..
Posted by Warthog 2021-06-19 07:15||   2021-06-19 07:15|| Front Page Top

#3 /\ WOKEandan priorities take precedence in government, but you knew that.
Posted by Besoeker 2021-06-19 07:17||   2021-06-19 07:17|| Front Page Top

#4 There's an interesting (for computer geeks) video about the computers on Voyager titled something like "15,000 days of uptime". Hubble hasn't spent that much time in space, but it uses much more advanced computers than Voyager.
Posted by Rob Crawford 2021-06-19 08:39||   2021-06-19 08:39|| Front Page Top

#5  but it uses much more advanced computers than Voyager.

Which is still working.
Posted by Skidmark 2021-06-19 08:49||   2021-06-19 08:49|| Front Page Top

#6 I am sure many of the hardware components are hard to find after 4.5 decades.
Posted by Ebbomoger Speaking for Boskone4589 2021-06-19 09:13||   2021-06-19 09:13|| Front Page Top

#7 It's orbit will decay to re-entry in about a decade. It's been serviced several times over its life, both repairs and upgrades. No surprise an antique computer would fail. The James Webb telescope is scheduled to launch sometime this year, I think.
Posted by Glenmore 2021-06-19 11:59||   2021-06-19 11:59|| Front Page Top

#8 The trick is finding an astronaut old enough to know how to properly remove the cartridge and blow on it, then corrected joggle the power switch just right.

*raises hand*
Posted by swksvolFF 2021-06-19 13:57||   2021-06-19 13:57|| Front Page Top

#9 ^^^^

All the above sound good...really
but maybe if you plugged in an Android
errr Apple (given the bad press about Android today)
and activated the app...
Hubble might run again...
Posted by Clatle Johnson6602 2021-06-19 14:30||   2021-06-19 14:30|| Front Page Top

#10 Check out EBAY for parts.
Posted by CrazyFool 2021-06-19 14:59||   2021-06-19 14:59|| Front Page Top

#11 ^^^
Cool 😎 Commodore 64 parts it is...

"Houston, we have a solution on a fix for Hubble
and it only took a CrazyFool to get us there"
Posted by Bill the Weasel5085 2021-06-19 15:34||   2021-06-19 15:34|| Front Page Top

#12 #8 The trick is finding an astronaut old enough to know how to properly remove the cartridge...

[raises hand]

But I advise whacking it on the side too.
Posted by Dron66046 2021-06-19 15:48||   2021-06-19 15:48|| Front Page Top

#13 ^^--- Emergency Repair Procedures:

Step 1: Kick it!

Step 2: Kick it HARD!
Posted by CrazyFool 2021-06-19 16:44||   2021-06-19 16:44|| Front Page Top

#14 Commodore 64 parts it is...

Pre Commodore. Magnetic plated wire memory.
The computer had 18 bits of core memory or plated wire memory; up to 64 k.

Think 1970's and '70's Univac computers.
Posted by Ebbaimp Phaitle6006 2021-06-19 19:56||   2021-06-19 19:56|| Front Page Top

18:02 swksvolFF
17:55 swksvolFF
17:45 Grom the Reflective
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15:37 M. Murcek
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15:27 Dale
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15:02 Besoeker
15:00 Uleremp and Company7042
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14:42 Grom the Reflective
14:42 Uleremp and Company7042









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