NASA working to resolve computer glitch, return Hubble Space Telescope to service

NASA is struggling to fix a computer glitch that has sidelined the iconic Hubble Space Telescope. While the problem is an uncomfortable reminder of the aging observatory's eventual mortality, engineers are confident they'll have it back up and running soon.

"Hubble is arguably the most important asset in the NASA's astrophysics portfolio, and it's been doing world-breaking science for over 30 years now," Paul Hertz, director of astrophysics at NASA Headquarters, said Wednesday. "And we're counting on it operating for many years more." The problem cropped up June 13 when the telescope's instrument-overseer payload computer suddenly stopped working. That triggered protective "safe mode" software that halted operations and effectively put the telescope in a state of electronic hibernation pending analysis on the ground.