http://www.stsci.edu/hst/HST_overview/TwoGyroMode/2GyroMovies/localNews?display_type=all http://www.stsci.edu/hst/HST_overview/TwoGyroMode/2GyroMovies/localNews?display_type=all#HeadlineNews On Saturday, September 27, 2008, a malfunction occurred on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), affecting the storage and transmittal of science data to Earth. The malfunctioning system is Hubble's <br /> Control Unit/Science Data Formatter - Side A (CU/SDF A). Shortly after 8 p.m. on Saturday, September 27, the telescope's spacecraft computer issued commands to safe the payload computer and science <br /> instruments when errors were detected within the Science Data Formatter. An attempt to reset the formatter and obtain a dump of the payload computer's memory was unsuccessful.<br /> <br /> Since then, a tremendous amount of work has been accomplished at the Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) to get ready for switching Hubble to the B-side of the CU/SDF. An intensive, independent review, <br /> led by John Campbell, looked at the nature of the failure, the plans for the switch to Side-B, and the status of the spare Science Instrument Command and Data Handling unit (SIC&DH), which contains the <br /> CU/SDF. The committee recommended proceeding with the switch. <br /> <br /> The operations and engineering staff at GSFC ran through the entire switch-over procedure several times, testing it against the replica HST on the ground. A number of minor problems were found and <br /> fixed, and several enhancements made to the original script. A final run-through was completed by the evening of Monday, October 6, each run-through taking about 12 hours or more. On Thursday, <br /> October 9, a formal Transition Readiness Review was held to review the testing and go through the detailed plan one last time. This review was a success, with the Hubble Project at GSFC recommending <br /> to proceed with the switchover. This recommendation was presented to GSFC management on Friday, October 10, and will be presented to NASA HQ on Tuesday, October 14. Assuming approval at both <br /> reviews, the actual process of switching HST to the Side B components will begin next Wednesday morning, October 15. The entire process, including bringing the science instruments back to operation <br /> and getting a few exposures, will run until Thursday evening.<br /> <br /> Meanwhile, schedulers at STScI have kept Hubble as busy as they can with astrometry observations using the Fine Guidance Sensor. A more normal observing program, using the WFPC2 and ACS/SBC as <br /> well as astrometry, will start on Thursday evening, as soon as the switch to Side B is complete and the instruments have been successfully recovered from safemode.<br /> http://www.stsci.edu/hst/HST_overview/TwoGyroMode/2GyroMovies/localNews?display_type=all#ServicingMission4News The servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope, originally planned for October 14, 2008, has been delayed. For the latest on the Hubble servicing mission, please visit NASA's <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hubble/servicing/SM4/main/index.html">Servicing Mission 4 web site</a>.