Hubble transmitsitsdata usingTrackingandDataRelaySatellite System(TDRSS)spacecraft. timelines, calibratethereceiveddata, schedule observations,createcommand necessary toawardtelescopetime, for scienceoperations—thefunctions Baltimore, Maryland,issimilarlyresponsible Telescope ScienceInstitute(STScI)in A separatecontractorteamattheSpace ground systemcomponents. systems administrationofthenetworkand control centerhardwareandsoftware, development, sustainingengineeringofthe science instruments,etc.),flightsoftware thermal, datamanagement,pointingcontrol, the spacecraft’ssubsystems(e.g.,power, Examples includemonitoringandadjusting safety, andperformanceofthespacecraft. that operatetogethertoassurethehealth, operations—those functionsofthemission team isresponsibleforHubble’smission GSFC collectivelyknownastheoperations group ofcivilservantsandcontractorsat mission. Underitsdirection,anintegrated who overseeallaspectsoftheHubble team oftechnicalmanagersandscientists Operations Project,thegovernment’s is hometotheHubbleSpaceTelescope NASA’s GoddardSpaceFlightCenter(GSFC) Hubble SpaceTelescope –MissionOperations National Aeronautics andSpaceAdministration Ground Station Tracking and White Sands,NM

Data Relay

Satellite DATA

DATA

Goddard Space LIGHT Flight Center Space Telescope Science Institute

Greenbelt, MD DATA Baltimore, MD operations in May 2011, a team of console operations inMay2011,ateamofconsole Prior totheimplementationofautomated operations areperformedfromthislocation. control room;bothmanualandautomated The MORisHubble’sprimarycommandand and anOperationsSupportRoom(OSR). consists ofaMissionOperationsRoom(MOR) Center (STOCC)islocatedatGSFC.It The SpaceTelescopeOperationsControl by computersviaautomatedoperations. receipt ofitssciencedataisaccomplished of thecommandingtotelescopeand 24 hoursaday,7daysweek,thoughmost together, GSFCandSTScIoperateHubble and archivethedatasets.Workingclosely appropriate subsystemengineers. reported anyproblemsorconcernstothe monitored telemetryfromthespacecraftand with commandsequences.Theyalso data recorders,andloadHubble’scomputers manage Hubble’sscienceandengineering acquire communicationswiththetelescope, They executedtherequiredproceduresto operators staffedtheMORaroundclock. Hubble Space Telescope

NASAfacts The Mission Operations Room during observatory commanding (left) and the Operations Support Room during Servicing Mission 4 (right)

These functions, which form Hubble’s daily routine, the Space Telescope Science Institute via dedicated are now performed autonomously, enabling STOCC high-speed network links where it is processed, personnel to focus on special operations and various archived, and distributed. tests. Since the advent of automated operations, the STOCC is staffed only eight hours a day, five days a The Hubble mission and science operations teams week. If an anomaly occurs on the spacecraft or within strive to set the standard for NASA’s great observatories the ground system when the facility is unoccupied, a by continuously improving the telescope’s science high-reliability text-messaging system immediately alerts productivity. The optical quality of the telescope, the the appropriate members of the operations team. excellent pointing performance of the spacecraft, the diverse capabilities of its instruments, and the skillful In the Operations Support Room (OSR), STOCC dedication of the mission’s staff keep Hubble at the personnel interface with a high-fidelity spacecraft forefront of observational astrophysics. simulator (or the spacecraft) to conduct a variety of tasks. These include testing any configuration changes planned The observatory is operating at peak performance for Hubble, analyzing engineering telemetry, testing thanks to the astronauts who successfully completed flight or ground software updates, and running any Servicing Mission 4 in May 2009. During that mission, contingency procedures or other special commanding space-shuttle-based astronauts installed two advanced- in response to an observatory anomaly. The operations technology instruments, repaired two others, replaced a team continuously examines spacecraft subsystem Fine Guidance Sensor, six gyros, six batteries, and the performance, looking for trends that could signal instrument computer, and outfitted certain equipment component degradation and identifying ways to improve bays with protective thermal blankets. These upgrades system performance and extend the mission’s lifetime. position Hubble to continue its mission of discovery into the next decade. Communications with Hubble are accomplished via a network interface from the STOCC to NASA’s White For more information, contact: Sands Test Facility complex located in White Sands, Claire Andreoli New Mexico, near Las Cruces. The large antennas there Office of Communications transmit radio waves to NASA’s Tracking and Data 301-286-1940 Relay Satellite System (TDRSS), which forwards them claire.g.desaravia@nasa.gov to Hubble. Science observations and engineering data that the telescope stores on solid-state recorders are Or visit the Hubble website at: returned to GSFC using the reverse path. Once received www.nasa.gov/hubble and quality checked, the science data is forwarded to

National Aeronautics and Space Administration Goddard Space Flight Center 8800 Greenbelt Road Greenbelt, MD 20771 www.nasa.gov

NASA Facts

FS-2018-10-286-GSFC