This illustration shows Hubble’s interior with the Advanced Camera for Surveys highlighted. Courtesy NASA / STSCI

There's trouble with the Hubble. NASA officials say that it appears a short circuit caused the space telescope's main camera, responsible for many of the HST's breathtaking images, to shut down. Can engineers get the camera, known as the Advanced Camera for Surveys, running again? And what of a proposed service mission? We'll find out if the Hubble has snapped its last picture of deep space using the ACS camera, and talk about what other instruments still remain functional on board the orbiting observatory.

Then, we'll take a look inside your brain -- and talk about what you might be able to do to change its functions. For years, scientists believed the brain's structure couldn't be changed. Kill those brain cells, and they're gone for good. But the new science of neuroplasticity says that's not the case, arguing that the brain is much more flexible than we thought. In this hour, Ira talks with science writer Sharon Begley. Her new book "Train Your Mind, Change Your Brain" looks at the latest in brain science and how our thoughts and actions can actually change our brains.

Call in with your questions and comments at 1-800-989-8255 (3-4 Eastern). Teachers, find more information about using Science Friday as a classroom resource in the Kids' Connection.

Guests:
Michael Weiss
Deputy Program Manager, Hubble Space Telescope
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland

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Sharon Begley
Author, "Train Your Mind, Change Your Brain" (Ballantine Books, 2007)
Science Columnist, Wall Street Journal
New York, New York

Books/Articles Discussed:

"Train Your Mind, Change Your Brain" by Sharon Begley. Ballantine Books, 2007.

Read an excerpt from TRAIN YOUR MIND, CHANGE YOUR BRAIN: How a New Science Reveals Extraordinary Potential to Transform Ourselves by Sharon Begley.Copyright (c) 2007 by Mind and Life Institute. Published by Ballantine Books, an imprint of the Random House Publishing Group.

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This segment produced by Annette Heist