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The Hubble Space Telescope has been offline for more than a week because of a problem with a 1980s-era computer on the telescope and now NASA says the issue may be bigger than first believed.
'After performing tests on several of the computer’s memory modules, the results indicate that a different piece of computer hardware may have caused the problem, with the memory errors being only a symptom,' the US space agency wrote in an update on Tuesday.
'The operations team is investigating whether the Standard Interface (STINT) hardware, which bridges communications between the computer’s Central Processing Module (CPM) and other components, or the CPM itself is responsible for the issue.
'The team is currently designing tests that will be run in the next few days to attempt to further isolate the problem and identify a potential solution.'
The Hubble Space Telescope has been offline for more than a week; NASA says the issue may stem from the Standard Interface (STINT) hardware on the 1980s era computer onboard Hubble
Initially, it was believed that a memory module on the NASA Standard Spacecraft Computer-1 (NSSC-1) system was failing
Launched in 1990, Hubble is showing more and more signs of ageing, despite a series of repairs and updates by spacewalking astronauts during NASA's shuttle era
DailyMail.com has reached out to the agency with a request for comment for this story.
Initially, it was believed that a memory module on the NASA Standard Spacecraft Computer-1 (NSSC-1) system was failing.
The Hubble Space Telescope is partnership between NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA).
If the main payload computer can't be fixed, NASA said it will switch the STINT and CPM hardware to the backup payload computer, albeit with one very large caveat.
It hasn't been powered on since
