NASA’s iconic Hubble House Telescope isn’t doing so nicely. The observatory has been affected by a pesky glitch affecting its gyroscope, inflicting it to droop its science operations for a second time in lower than six months.
On Friday, NASA announced that Hubble had robotically entered protected mode on Tuesday, April 23 when one in every of its three operational gyroscopes returned defective readings. Engineers are at present engaged on an answer to renew the telescope’s observations.
This marks the second time the area telescope has halted its scientific operations as a result of similar difficulty. Earlier in November 2023, one of many gyros returned comparable wacky readings, which prompted Hubble’s safe mode. The telescope resumed operations the subsequent day, solely to enter protected mode as soon as once more. It was lastly introduced again to life in mid-December 2023.
Gyroscopes are used to find out the route by which the telescope is pointing and to keep up its orientation. Hubble began off with six gyros on board, however solely three stay operational as we speak. The telescope can function with only one if wanted, but it surely makes use of all three for elevated effectivity.
One of many options NASA engineers are contemplating is to have Hubble reconfigured to function with one gyro whereas putting the opposite two in reserve, in keeping with the area company. “NASA anticipates Hubble will proceed making groundbreaking discoveries, working with different observatories, such because the company’s James Webb House Telescope, all through this decade and presumably into the subsequent,” the area company wrote in its assertion.
Hubble launched in 1990 as a pioneering optical area telescope, and has since delivered unbelievable photos and main contributions to our understanding of the cosmos. The growing older telescope has overcome different setbacks throughout its time in orbit, and NASA appears assured in its restoration.
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