NASA Hubble Space Telescope glitch: troubleshooting identifies potential fix

After over a month in safe mode, there's a new sense of hope for Hubble.


Amanda Kooser
July 14, 2021 


The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope during deployment in 1990.NASA/Smithsonian Institution/Lockheed Corporation

The Hubble Space Telescope is one of NASA's most beloved projects. After over 30 years in service, it's now facing one of its greatest challenges, as a technical glitch has left it in safe mode for over a month. On Wednesday, NASA said it may have tracked down the source of the issue.

The Hubble team had been looking at the payload computer -- hardware dating back to the 1980s -- as the potential source of a memory problem. "A series of multi-day tests, which included attempts to restart and reconfigure the computer and the backup computer, were not successful, but the information gathered from those activities has led the Hubble team to determine that the possible cause of the problem is in the Power Control Unit," NASA said.

As with the payload computer, the PCU is part of Hubble's Science Instrument Command and Data Handling unit. The PCU is responsible for supplying a constant and steady source of electricity to the computer and its memory. Herein lies the possible problem.

"The team's analysis suggests that either the voltage level from the regulator is outside of acceptable levels (thereby tripping the secondary protection circuit), or the secondary protection circuit has degraded over time and is stuck in this inhibit state," NASA said.

NASA unveils 30 dazzling new Hubble space images for an epic anniversary See all photos

+27 More

Hubble is equipped with a lot of backup systems, including a backup PCU. On Thursday, NASA will attempt the switch to the other hardware in an effort to restore the telescope to normal operations. Since the issue cropped up on June 13, Hubble's science work has been stalled.

If the plan works, it could still take several days to get the telescope back up and running. There has been concern for the aging telescope, which is a joint project from NASA and the European Space Agency. Hubble's successor, the much-delayed James Webb Space Telescope, is still here on Earth, waiting for a possible October launch.

Hubble has weathered many technical glitches in its time, and it may yet survive this latest one. The good news is NASA has a plan, and the hope to go along with it.

Follow CNET's 2021 Space Calendar to stay up to date with all the latest space news this year. You can even add it to your own Google Calendar.

First published on July 14, 2021 at 1:39 p.m. PT.

NASA IS THE MIC*
Lockheed Martin opens new spacecraft facility in Florida


1-6
A model of NASA's Orion spacecraft is displayed at Lockheed Martin's new Spacecraft Test Assembly and Resource Center in Titusville, Fla., on Thursday. Photo by Joe Marino/UPI | License Photo

TITUSVILLE, Fla., July 15 (UPI) -- Lockheed Martin opened a new spacecraft facility Thursday to help build NASA's Orion lunar capsules near Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Lockheed Martin says the new STAR Center in Titusville is now a "digitally transformed factory of the future" that will help produce spacecraft to take astronauts to the moon. STAR stands for Spacecraft Test, Assembly and Resource.

"This represents the next level of commitment for NASA's and Lockheed Martin's exploration missions," said Paul Marshall, NASA assistant Orion program manager. "Our work here is just getting started, and in August, this place will be humming with activity."

NASA awarded Lockheed a $4.6 billion contract in 2019 to build six new Orion capsules. At 55,000 square feet, the spacecraft center will build large components for Orion, which still will be assembled on NASA property about 10 miles away.

"Large elements such as the heat shield and wiring harness will be built at the STAR Center and then transported for final integration," according to the company, which is based in Maryland.

Having the additional high-tech capability nearby will free up space at NASA's historic 600,000-square-foot Neil Armstrong Operations & Checkout Building, built in 1964 for the Gemini and Apollo programs and renovated for $55 million in 2009.

The new building will allow a faster schedule for Orion construction than would otherwise have been possible, the company said.

"It's not just the building, but the flight that we are preparing for soon with Artemis I, which is so exciting," said Rick Ambrose, executive vice president of Lockheed Martin Space. "We want to explore and we want to get Orion out there and the Artemis program."

The new facility will start building components for the Artemis III mission that is intended to return American astronauts to the lunar surface as early as 2024, although that date is in question due to weak congressional funding.

Lockheed Martin spent 18 months and $20 million renovating the center, which formerly housed the Astronaut Training Experience tourist attraction.

Orion is designed for 21-day crewed journeys, but it can be fitted for longer missions to the moon or even Mars, according to Lockheed.

A test model of the Orion capsule has been to space, without astronauts aboard. It was launched in December 2014 and splashed down about 4 1/2 hours later in the Pacific Ocean.

The capsule includes deep space navigation and communication systems, advanced life support, radiation shielding and a heat shield designed to withstand 5,200 degrees F coming back from the moon at 24,700 mph.

Many people at the opening event Thursday said they remembered the building when it was a tourist attraction and hosted space camp programs.

"As a kid I remember running up and down this road, trying to find the best place to watch Apollo launches," state Rep. Thad Altman, R-Fla., said.

* MILITARY INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX

USA

More than 2M sign up under ACA special enrollment period

July 14 (UPI) -- More than 2 million people have signed up for health insurance during the Affordable Care Act's special enrollment period so far this year, the Biden administration announced Wednesday.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said that as of the start of the special enrollment period, Feb. 15, more than 1.5 million people signed up through the HealthCare.gov website, while another 600,000 signed up through state-run marketplaces.

Within a month of his inauguration, President Joe Biden launched the special enrollment period to allow Americans affected by the COVID-19 pandemic to gain access to health coverage. The extension was paid for under the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan.

Open enrollment is typically limited to a 45-day window each November and December, or during certain life changes, such as a move, job change or birth of a child.

RELATED Out-of-work Americans can now receive aid to pay for ACA health coverage

In addition to the enrollment extension, the American Rescue Plan provided enhanced subsidies for those who receive health coverage under the ACA.

"Let's be clear -- the monthly Marketplace numbers show that across the country, there's a demand for high-quality, low-cost health coverage," said Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra.

"And month after month, we are reminded that the Biden-Harris Administration is fulfilling its promise to deliver access to quality, affordable health coverage by strengthening the Affordable Care Act and pushing its Build Back Better Agenda."

RELATED Supreme Court declines to hear bid by insurers to recoup ACA payments

The special enrollment period and enhanced subsidies are expected to run through Aug. 15, though CNN cited administration officials as saying they're looking to extend it further.

North Korea warns of heat wave's impact on crops



North Korea urged citizens to prepare for a “stronger heat wave” Friday. File Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI | License Photo


July 16 (UPI) -- North Korea could be taking preventative measures against climate change by planting more trees and protecting crops from extreme heat as temperatures soar to record highs on the peninsula.

Korean Workers' Party paper Rodong Sinmun said Friday that preventing crop damage from heat waves is a "struggle to protect the lives and safety of the people."

"Party organizations at all levels inform us that a stronger heat wave is expected to affect our nation next week," the paper said. "Preventing damage is an important political project for the realization of decisions made at the [Eighth] Party Congress."

The Rodong is urging the country to prepare for extreme weather only days after North Korea's chairman of the State Planning Commission said in a report to the United Nations that "severe natural disasters hit the country every year" amid a worsening food situation.

The Party paper said Friday that workers must focus on "finding a water source" and then mobilize "all means of transportation" to water crops.

Last year, North Korea said typhoons and ensuing floods wiped out crops. The regime could be responding with tree planting initiatives.

Propaganda service Meari said Thursday that a "unique forestation" initiative was taking place in the city of Samjiyon in Yanggang Province. Birch, cypress and clove trees have been planted in the area that state media said was the "standard and exemplar" of a "modern mountain city."

The Rodong reported in a separate article that various North Korean work units, including the Mangyongdae District Agricultural Machinery Workshop and the Ryusonamsae cooperative farm, were recognized for their "reforestation" efforts.

North Korea underwent a period of deforestation during the Great Famine of the '90s. Defectors in the South have said energy shortages forced people to burn wood for fuel.

Unsustainable clearing of forests also contributed to deforestation amid the food shortage, according to analysts.

Jury orders Walmart to pay $125 million in EEOC lawsuit



The exterior of a Walmart store in Salinas, Calif. Walmart was ordered Friday to pay more than $125 million in a disability lawsuit brought by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Photo by Ken Wolter/Shutterstock


July 16 (UPI) -- A Wisconsin jury ordered Walmart to pay $125.15 million on three claims of disability discrimination, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said Friday, but the retailer is disputing the amount.

The jury found that Walmart failed to accommodate Marlo Spaeth, who has Down syndrome, in 2015 when they changed her scheduled and she struggled to adjust. Walmart fired her instead of returning her to a schedule she was able to work, the EEOC said.

The jury awarded Spaeth $150,000 in compensatory damages and $125 million in punitive damages.

"The substantial jury verdict in this case sends a strong message to employers that disability discrimination is unacceptable in our nation's workplaces," EEOC Chair Charlotte A. Burrows said in a statement. "All of those who come forward to ensure the right to a workplace free of discrimination do a service to our nation."

Walmart spokesman Randy Hargrove told CNBC the company tried to resolve the matter with the EEOC but their requirements "were unreasonable." Hargrove said the company was trying to decide what options it has.

Hargrove said that, according to the EEOC's website, the limit for such payouts is $300,000 for companies like Walmart, and he expects the jury reward to be reduced.

Amnesty report says Libyan refugees subject to violence when forced to return

Libyans have been fleeing their country in droves, risking their lives to seek better living conditions in Europe. The International Organization for Migration says around 900 migrants have died this year in transit. File Photo by Javier Martin/EPA-EFE


July 15 (UPI) -- Amnesty International released a report Thursday detailing alleged abuses Libyans are subjected to when being forcibly returned.

The 50-page report, titled "No One Will Look For You," focuses on refugees being forcibly returned to Libya after fleeing to Europe.

The report found that those being held at detention centers within Libya faced systematic abuse, including rape.

"This horrifying report sheds new light on the suffering of people intercepted at sea and returned to Libya, where they are immediately funneled into arbitrary detention and systematically subjected to torture, sexual violence, forced labor and other exploitation with total impunity," Diana Eltahawy, deputy director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International, said in a statement.

The report describes systematic rape of women in the camps by guards and withholding of necessary items, such as food, for sexual favors.

"Former detainees there said that guards raped women and some were coerced into sex in exchange for their release or for essentials such as clean water," the organization said in a statement.

Men and boys have also reported being subjected to sexual abuse, the report said.

Pope Francis and United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres have advocated for the worst of Libya's facilities to be closed.

Instead, Libya is adding two more such detention camps while hundreds have gone missing from the existing camps. Eltahawy said the Libyan government is not taking the issue seriously.

"Meanwhile, Libyan authorities have rewarded those reasonably suspected of committing such violations with positions of power and higher ranks, meaning that we risk seeing the same horrors reproduced again and again," Eltahawy added.

Amnesty is advocating for European powers to curb military assistance to Libya. Italy is scheduled to discuss the issue next week in parliament.

Thursday's report focused on the stories of 53 Libyan refugees who were detained. Of those, 49 were plucked directly from rafts in the sea, it said.

Through those individual stories, Amnesty found that detention centers in Libya are rife with abuse. In 2020, hundreds of refugees there were even directed to an informal detention center run by a militia.

Another infamous center, Tajoura, was closed in 2019 after 53 detainees died in an airstrike. That center was "notorious for torture and other ill-treatment," the report said.

Amnesty also included information about Libyan children who have been coerced into military service.

Libyans have been fleeing the country in droves, risking their lives to seek better living conditions in Europe.

The International Organization for Migration maintained numbers showing around 900 migrants have died this year in transit. In early July, a boat sank off the coast of Tunisia, killing 43 refugees. In January, a boat with 265 Libyan refugees was rescued off the coast of Sicily.

The U.S. State Department recently noted that trafficking increased in the area during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Protester rushed to hospital after clash at South Korea THAAD site


Anti-THAAD activists in Seongju, South Korea, have clashed with local police officers several times this year, according to reports. File Photo by Keizo Mori/UPI | License Photo

July 15 (UPI) -- A South Korean protester collapsed and was transferred to a nearby hospital during a military delivery to the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense base in Seongju on Thursday.

South Korea's military and U.S. Forces Korea had begun to deliver equipment to the base at 6 a.m., when they were confronted by more than 40 protesters, including local residents, Newsis reported.

Anti-THAAD rallies have recurred in the area since the deliveries began in May. Seoul made multiple deliveries in May and June, typically early in the morning. Protesters often attempt to block trucks from gaining entry to the base.

Activists who claimed the THAAD site illegal chanted slogans Thursday, urging the shuttering of the base and calling for the withdrawal of police, Yonhap reported.

Police officers created a line to maintain order on roads and used loudspeakers to call on protesters to disband. When the group refused to disperse, officers began to physically push people out of the way about 6:50 a.m. One protester fell and was taken away in an ambulance.

U.S. Forces Korea and local military officers secured the road at 7:25 a.m., and the deliveries were brought in on 10 trucks, according to reports.

Protesters who spoke to Newsis said that police threatened to arrest them if they did not voluntarily leave the premises.

More than 800 officers were deployed to the site Thursday. The activists previously raised concerns about the large police force deployment.

The more police there are, the more severe the human rights violations at Soseong-ri, activists said in June.

The U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command said last month that it is seeking to upgrade defenses on the Korean Peninsula.

Improving Patriot and THAAD interoperability and bringing a Patriot launch-on-remote capability are "developments efforts associated with U.S. Forces Korea," Lt. Gen. Daniel L. Karbler said in a statement to the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee.

The United States and South Korea agreed to deploy THAAD in 2016 in response to North Korean missile threats.

Family of deceased South Korean university janitor rejects school-led probe


South Korea’s Confederation of Trade Unions said a woman who died on the campus of Seoul National University was bullIed on the job. File Photo by Yonhap/EPA-EFE


July 15 (UPI) -- The family of a South Korean janitor who died during her shift on the campus of Seoul National University said they do not want the school's human rights center to lead an investigation into her death, citing the school's abusive labor practices.

The statement comes after a local network reported the woman was forced to collect garbage at a multi-story campus dormitory building without an elevator amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions said Thursday that the family of the unidentified woman rejects Seoul National University's involvement into her death, News 1 reported.

Family members told the South Korean news service that officials who accused them of "playing victim" had been appointed to investigate. One official, Koo Min-gyo, dean of students, resigned Monday, according to Kyunghyang Shinmun.

The woman, reportedly in her 50s, was found dead in a staff rest area June 26.

KCTU said last week during a rally that the victim was subjected to "workplace bullying, military-style work orders" and a heavy workload, according to the Korea Times.

The woman's supervisor forced her and other janitors to take written tests to quiz them on the buildings where they worked, the group said.

"He then publicized each employee's results and publicly shamed them," KCTU said.

Local news network JTBC reported Wednesday that surveillance camera footage from the dormitory shows the woman climbing up and down the building, carrying out dozens of 100-liter garbage bags filled with trash.

KCTU has said garbage at the dormitory grew exponentially during the pandemic, as students avoided leaving their rooms and ordered food. The woman may have carried out a ton of trash in the past year while working alone, according to local estimates.

The woman's husband told JTBC that he found her collapsed on a blanket on the floor.

"How hard it must have been," he said. "There was an uneaten cup of ramen noodles next to her."

Biden to restore protections to Alaska's Tongass National Forest


The Biden administration order would still allow Alaskan Natives and small-scale operations to continue logging in Tongass National Forest. File Photo by Brock Martin/U.S. Forest Service

July 15 (UPI) -- The Biden administration on Thursday announced plans to reverse a Trump-era move to open up Alaska's Tongass National Forest for logging and other business operations.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said the USDA will restore protections to the United States' largest old-growth forest as part of a $25 million strategy to conserve natural resources in Alaska.

"We look forward to meaningful consultation with tribal governments and Alaska Native corporations, and engaging with local communities, partners, and the State to prioritize management and investments in the region that reflect a holistic approach to the diverse values present in the region," Vilsack said.

"This approach will help us chart the path to long-term economic opportunities that are sustainable and reflect Southeast Alaska's rich cultural heritage and magnificent natural resources."

Former President Donald Trump's 2020 order lifted the "roadless" rule for the forest, which barred road-building and logging on the 16.7 million acres of public lands. It opened the land to potential logging, mining and timber harvesting.

Critics of the Trump order said logging in the forest would push global warming.

Under the new proposal, Alaska Natives and small-scale operators would still be allowed to harvest some of the more valuable old-growth trees.

Dutch queen and robot open 3D-printed bridge in Amsterdam

A steel 3D-printed pedestrian bridge spans a canal in the heart of the red light district in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Thursday, July 15, 2021. The distinctive flowing lines of the 12-meter (40-foot) bridge were created using a 3D printing technique called wire and arc additive manufacturing that combines robotics with welding. (AP Photo/Aleksandar Furtula)

AMSTERDAM (AP) — Dutch Queen Maxima teamed up with a small robot Thursday to unveil a steel 3D-printed pedestrian bridge over a canal in the heart of Amsterdam’s red light district.

Maxima pushed a green button that set the robot’s arm in motion to cut a ribbon across the bridge with a pair of scissors.

The distinctive flowing lines of the 12-meter (40-foot) bridge were created using a 3D printing technique called wire and arc additive manufacturing that combines robotics with welding.

Tim Geurtjens, of the company MX3D, said the bridge showcases the possibilities of the technology.

“If you want to have a really highly decorated bridge or really aesthetic bridge, suddenly it becomes a good option to print it,” he said. “Because it’s not just about making things cheaper and more efficient for us, it’s about giving architects and designers a new tool — a new very cool tool — in which they can rethink the design of their architecture and their designs.”

The 6-ton structure will be loaded with sensors that researchers at Imperial College London will use to monitor the bridge in real time and gauge how it reacts to being used by pedestrians.

It will remain in place for two years while the bridge that previously spanned the canal is renovated.

Micha Mos, a councillor at Amsterdam municipality, said the bridge could help bring in new tourists as the the city seeks to clean up a neighborhood known for seedy clubs and noisy stag parties.

“This may attract a new kind of visitor, one who is more interested in architecture and design, which will help change the way the neighborhood is perceived as more of something you want to visit but visit respectfully than it has been over the few last decades,” he said.

____

Associated Press writer Mike Corder contributed from The Hague.

First 3D-printed bridge opens to public in Amsterdam


Queen Máxima of the Netherlands crosses the 3D printed bridge. Photo courtesy of MX3D.

July 15 (UPI) -- The world's first 3D printed bridge was unveiled in Amsterdam's Red Light District on Thursday.

The bridge -- weighing just over 9,900 pounds -- was created by torch-wielding robotic arms that welded the structure.

It was later transported to the Oudezijds Achterburgwal canal in central Amsterdam, where it was constructed and opened to bicycle and pedestrian traffic.

Queen Máxima of the Netherlands opened the bridge by operating a scissor-wielding robot to cut a ribbon.

The project began seven years ago by Dutch company MX3D is also under the research umbrella of Imperial College London.

"A 3D-printed metal structure large and strong enough to handle pedestrian traffic has never been constructed before," Imperial co-contributor professor Leroy Gardner said according to IET. "We have tested and simulated the structure and its components throughout the printing process and upon its completion and it's fantastic to see it finally open to the public."

The structure was not only built to show off the new technology, it will also serve as a lab to Imperial College London researchers.

A computer model of the bridge will be combined with real-world information about traffic and regular analysis to monitor the bridge's health.

The bridge performance will be studied to determine how 3D-printed steel reacts over time. The Alan Turing Institute will lead the research program.

"3D printing is poised to become a major technology in engineering and we need to develop appropriate approaches for testing and monitoring to realize its full potential," Turing Institute Prof. Mark Girolami said, according to IET. "When we couple 3D printing with digital twin technology, we can then accelerate the infrastructure design process, ensuring that we design optimal and efficient structures with respect to environmental impact, architectural freedom and manufacturing costs."

Earlier this year, the U.S. Navy announced it was developing 3D printing technology for structural metals involved in vessel construction.

"MX3D kicked off this project in 2015 when it proposed printing a metal bridge with its innovative large-scale, #robotic #3Dprinting technology, creating a playful, inspiring example of how digital tools can create a new form language for architectural objects," MX3D said on Facebook.