Hubble Advanced Computer Down

Fred Bloggs · 2021-06-22T15:50:00+00:00

The original computer was the DF-224, which was real old technology, but very reliable, Everything was triply redundant. It was eventually augmented with a 80386 coprocessor on a later service mission (SM). was replaced entirely during SM3A in 1999(?), with a completely modernized 80486 processor system called The Advanced Computer. "In a good example of NASA's goal of "faster, cheaper, better," commercially developed, commonly available equipment was used to build this new computer at a fraction of the price it would cost to build a specialized computer designed specifically for the spaceflight environment. NASA performed a battery of mechanical, electrical, radiation and thermal tests to guarantee that the computer would survive the trip to orbit, withstand bombardment by cosmic and solar radiation and work flawlessly in the extreme temperatures of space for the rest of Hubble's life. As a final check, NASA carried the computer to space in the Space Shuttle for 10 days in 1998. The computer worked perfectly. The greater capabilities of the new computer will increase productivity for the Hubble observatory by performing more work in space and less work by people on the ground. The computer software will be programmed in a modern programming language. The result will be decreased cost for software maintenance." is the computer that's gone south with memory problems and NASA can't bring it back. the NASA PR is sketchy and it's hard to tell what they're doing or what they've done. I wonder if the unnamed backup computer is the DF-224 they just left in there from the SM."

Jun 22, 2021 Last reply: 5 years ago 21 Replies

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Joe Gwinn 5 years ago

Yeah, in a sense. On projects of that scale, there are always lots of omissions and mistakes, on both sides. The usual solution involves a lot of horse trading. Major omissions also involve money changing hands. Both sides have established their contingency reserve to cover the inevitable.

Joe Gwinn

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Joe Gwinn 5 years ago

Yeah. The old optics experts were horrified, and started muttering about their war wounds. But on the bright side, they got a nice example with which to discipline new managers.

Joe Gwinn

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