[U] NASA's Hubble Restoration Efforts To Continue For Testing, Into Next Week...

We won't make too much of this, until we know whether (or not) the testing of the ACS has moved smoothly, later next week.

Here's the latest, from NASA | Goddard:

. . .The team is now taking steps to recover Hubble’s Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) instrument from safe mode and start collecting science with that instrument at the beginning of next week. The team will make the decision on Sunday after analyzing the latest data. If a lost message is seen before then, the decision to activate ACS will also be revisited.

The team is proceeding cautiously to ensure the safety of the instruments and avoid additional stresses on the hardware. Therefore, only ACS will be used in this capacity next week. ACS was selected as the first instrument to recover as it faces the fewest complications should a lost message occur. . . .

UPDATED -- November 8, 2021: The Hubble team successfully recovered the Advanced Camera for Surveys instrument Nov. 7. The instrument has started taking science observations once again. Hubble’s other instruments remain in safe mode while NASA continues investigating the lost synchronization messages first detected Oct. 23. The camera was selected as the first instrument to recover as it faces the fewest complications should a lost message occur.

Over the past week, the mission team has continued investigating the root cause of the synchronization issues and has seen no additional problems. The team will continue looking into possible short-term solutions this week and develop estimates for implementation. Once this occurs, the team will discuss returning the other instruments to operational status and resuming their science observations. . . .

We will remain hopeful -- but realistic, given the age of these circuits, and the decade and a half of 24/7 time they've spent, operating largely flawlessly, under extremely harsh conditions. Onward.

नमस्ते