Incident: Hubble Space Telescope Gyroscope Malfunction in October 2018

Published Date: 2018-10-24

Postmortem Analysis
Timeline 1. The software failure incident with the Hubble Space Telescope happened on October 25, as reported in Article 119623.
System 1. Hubble Space Telescope gyroscopes [Article 76546, Article 119623]
Responsible Organization 1. NASA [76546, 119623]
Impacted Organization 1. Hubble Space Telescope [76546, 119623] 2. NASA [76546, 119623]
Software Causes 1. The software failure incident in Article 119623 was caused by 'synchronization issues with internal spacecraft communications' that led to the Hubble Space Telescope's science instruments going into 'safe mode' [119623].
Non-software Causes 1. Mechanical obstruction in the gyroscope causing inaccurate readings and high rotation rates [Article 76546] 2. Synchronization issues with internal spacecraft communications leading to the Hubble Space Telescope going into safe mode [Article 119623]
Impacts 1. The software failure incident on the Hubble Space Telescope caused its science instruments to go into 'safe mode,' leading to the suspension of science observations and data collection [119623]. 2. The incident resulted in a temporary halt in science operations on the telescope while the team investigated the synchronization issues with internal spacecraft communications [119623]. 3. The software failure incident affected the functionality of the telescope, requiring NASA to perform a risky maneuver to switch the Hubble to its backup computer system to resume normal operations [119623]. 4. The glitch experienced by the Hubble Space Telescope for the second time in the year led to concerns about the ageing of the telescope and its increasing signs of aging despite previous repairs and updates [119623].
Preventions 1. Regular maintenance and monitoring of the gyroscopes on the Hubble Space Telescope could have potentially prevented the software failure incident [Article 76546]. 2. Implementing more robust testing procedures for the backup gyroscope before relying on it as a replacement could have helped prevent the glitch [Article 76546]. 3. Upgrading or replacing outdated components, such as the 1980s-era computer that controls the science instruments, could have prevented the synchronization issues and subsequent software failure incidents [Article 119623].
Fixes 1. The software failure incident on the Hubble Space Telescope was fixed by repeatedly turning the entire spacecraft to dislodge any blockage that may have caused the gyroscope issue [76546]. 2. NASA successfully performed a risky maneuver to switch the Hubble to its backup computer, compensating for a problem with the original payload computer that occurred in June [119623].
References 1. NASA [Article 76546, Article 119623] 2. Hubble Operations Project Manager Patrick Crouse [Article 76546] 3. DailyMail.com [Article 119623]

Software Taxonomy of Faults

Category Option Rationale
Recurring one_organization (a) The software failure incident of the Hubble Space Telescope experiencing glitches and going into safe mode has happened again within the same organization. The incident occurred for the second time in 2021, causing the telescope's science instruments to stop working and go into safe mode due to synchronization issues with internal spacecraft communications [Article 119623]. (b) There is no information in the provided articles about the software failure incident happening at other organizations or with their products and services.
Phase (Design/Operation) design, operation (a) The software failure incident related to the design phase can be seen in Article 76546. The incident with the Hubble Space Telescope's gyroscopes failing was attributed to an end-of-life behavior of one gyroscope that had been exhibiting issues for approximately a year. Additionally, the backup gyroscope that was powered up after the failure sent back readings that were clearly too high, indicating a design flaw or mechanical obstruction [76546]. (b) The software failure incident related to the operation phase can be observed in Article 119623. The Hubble Space Telescope experienced synchronization issues with internal spacecraft communications, causing its science instruments to go into 'safe mode' and temporarily suspending science observations. This operational issue led to the telescope not being able to collect data despite being powered up [119623].
Boundary (Internal/External) within_system (a) The software failure incident related to the Hubble Space Telescope experienced synchronization issues with internal spacecraft communications, causing its science instruments to go into 'safe mode' [Article 119623]. This indicates a within_system failure where the issue originated from within the system itself.
Nature (Human/Non-human) non-human_actions (a) The software failure incident occurring due to non-human actions: - The Hubble Space Telescope experienced a glitch that caused synchronization issues with internal spacecraft communications, leading to its science instruments going into 'safe mode' [Article 119623]. - The glitch in the Hubble Space Telescope caused some of its functions to stop working, resulting in science observations being temporarily suspended while the team investigated the issue [Article 119623]. (b) The software failure incident occurring due to human actions: - There is no information in the provided articles indicating that the software failure incidents were caused by contributing factors introduced by human actions.
Dimension (Hardware/Software) hardware, software (a) The software failure incident occurring due to hardware: - The Hubble Space Telescope experienced a glitch that caused some of its functions to stop working due to 'synchronization issues with internal spacecraft communications' [Article 119623]. (b) The software failure incident occurring due to software: - The Hubble Space Telescope had a gyro failure incident where the gyro began spinning despite not being used for 7½ years and sent back readings that were clearly too high, indicating a software-related issue [Article 76546].
Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) non-malicious (a) The articles do not mention any malicious intent behind the software failure incidents reported for the Hubble Space Telescope. The failures were attributed to technical issues and aging hardware components [76546, 119623]. (b) The software failure incidents related to the Hubble Space Telescope were non-malicious in nature. The incidents were caused by synchronization issues with internal spacecraft communications and issues with a 1980s-era computer controlling the science instruments, which led to the telescope going into safe mode and experiencing glitches [76546, 119623].
Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) unknown (a) The software failure incident related to the Hubble Space Telescope gyro issue in Article 76546 was not primarily due to poor decisions but rather a technical problem related to a mechanical obstruction in the gyroscope. NASA engineers took various technical steps to try to fix the issue, including commanding spacecraft maneuvers and gyro mode switches to dislodge any blockage that may have caused the problem [76546]. (b) The software failure incident related to the Hubble Space Telescope glitch in Article 119623 was not caused by poor decisions but rather by technical issues such as synchronization problems with internal spacecraft communications. The glitch led to the science instruments going into safe mode, suspending science observations while the team investigated the issue [119623].
Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) accidental (a) The software failure incident occurring due to development incompetence: - The incident with the Hubble Space Telescope's gyroscopes failing was not due to development incompetence but rather due to the aging of the equipment and mechanical obstructions [Article 76546]. - The glitch experienced by the Hubble Space Telescope in 2021 was also not attributed to development incompetence but rather to synchronization issues with internal spacecraft communications [Article 119623]. (b) The software failure incident occurring accidentally: - The glitch experienced by the Hubble Space Telescope in 2021, where its science instruments went into safe mode due to synchronization issues with internal spacecraft communications, could be considered a failure introduced accidentally [Article 119623].
Duration temporary (a) The software failure incident related to the Hubble Space Telescope was temporary. The incident in Article 76546 describes how the telescope experienced a glitch with one of its gyroscopes, causing synchronization issues with internal spacecraft communications. The telescope went into "safe mode," limiting its operations while NASA engineers investigated and attempted various maneuvers to clear the issue. Ultimately, after performing a series of spacecraft maneuvers and gyro mode switches, the problem was resolved, and the gyro returned to normal operation [76546]. (b) The software failure incident in Article 119623 also describes a temporary failure. The Hubble Space Telescope experienced a glitch for the second time in the year, causing its science instruments to go into "safe mode" due to synchronization issues with internal spacecraft communications. While science observations were temporarily suspended, the instruments remained in good health, and NASA was investigating the issue to resolve it. The telescope was still in safe mode as NASA worked on addressing the problem [119623].
Behaviour omission, other (a) crash: The Hubble Space Telescope experienced a glitch that caused some of its functions to stop working, leading its science instruments to go into 'safe mode' [Article 119623]. (b) omission: The Hubble Space Telescope had to suspend science observations temporarily while investigating synchronization issues with internal spacecraft communications, causing it to not observe any celestial objects or collect data [Article 119623]. (c) timing: The Hubble Space Telescope resumed science operations after a month of being halted due to a technical malfunction with a 1980s-era computer controlling its science instruments [Article 119623]. (d) value: The Hubble Space Telescope had issues with a 1980s-era computer controlling its science instruments, which led to a halt in science data collection [Article 119623]. (e) byzantine: There is no specific mention of the Hubble Space Telescope exhibiting inconsistent responses or interactions in the provided articles. (f) other: The Hubble Space Telescope had to switch to its backup computer to compensate for the problem with the original payload computer, which had halted and suspended science data collection [Article 119623].

IoT System Layer

Layer Option Rationale
Perception None None
Communication None None
Application None None

Other Details

Category Option Rationale
Consequence property, delay, non-human, theoretical_consequence (a) death: There is no mention of any deaths resulting from the software failure incidents reported in the articles [76546, 119623]. (b) harm: There is no mention of any physical harm to individuals resulting from the software failure incidents reported in the articles [76546, 119623]. (c) basic: There is no mention of people's access to food or shelter being impacted due to the software failure incidents reported in the articles [76546, 119623]. (d) property: The software failure incidents did impact the Hubble Space Telescope, which is a valuable and expensive piece of equipment [76546, 119623]. (e) delay: The software failure incidents did lead to delays in the science operations of the Hubble Space Telescope while engineers worked to address the issues [76546, 119623]. (f) non-human: The primary impact of the software failure incidents was on the Hubble Space Telescope itself, a non-human entity [76546, 119623]. (g) no_consequence: There were observed consequences of the software failure incidents, particularly in terms of impacting the operations of the Hubble Space Telescope [76546, 119623]. (h) theoretical_consequence: There were potential consequences discussed, such as the impact on the ability of the Hubble Space Telescope to conduct scientific observations, but these consequences were addressed through troubleshooting and fixes [76546]. (i) other: There are no other consequences described in the articles beyond those mentioned above.
Domain information, knowledge (a) The failed system was related to the information industry as it pertains to space exploration and scientific research conducted by NASA using the Hubble Space Telescope [Article 76546, Article 119623]. (i) The failed system was also related to the knowledge industry as it involved scientific research and observations conducted by the Hubble Space Telescope [Article 76546, Article 119623].

Sources

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