The repair involves installing patches to eliminate unwanted sunlight leaking into the instrument.
NASA is not sure what caused the damage, but its determined to fix it.
We didnt design NICER for mission servicing.
The NICER telescope outside the ISS where it studies neutron stars and other X-ray source.Photo: NASA
The possibility of a repair has been an exciting challenge.
The patches will be installed by the astronauts to repair the light leak.
Astronauts have been commissioned to repair science observatories in orbit before, including the Hubble Space Telescope.
Still, doing handy work in space while tethered to an orbiting space station is no easy feat.
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