NASA introduced that it’s transitioning the Hubble Space Telescope to function utilizing just one gyroscope (gyro) to make sure its continued performance and scientific observations. Currently, the telescope is in secure mode, a state it entered on May 24 attributable to a malfunctioning gyro. Hubble’s gyros measure slew charges and assist management the telescope’s route. Of the six put in in 2009, three stay lively, however one has been offering defective readings, inflicting repeated secure mode entries.
This defective gyro has been experiencing “saturation,” the place it falsely studies most slew charges no matter precise motion. Though resetting the gyro briefly resolved the problem, it reoccurred in late May. To preserve constant operations, NASA is shifting Hubble to a one-gyro mode, retaining one other gyro in reserve.
This mode was deliberate over 20 years in the past to extend Hubble’s operational life and was briefly examined in 2008 with no influence on statement high quality. Previously, from 2005-2009, Hubble operated in a two-gyro mode, which is analogous to the one-gyro mode.
Operating in one-gyro mode will introduce minor limitations. The telescope will take longer to slew and lock onto targets and can have much less observational flexibility. Additionally, it received’t have the ability to observe shifting objects nearer than Mars, although such targets are rare for Hubble. The transition entails reconfiguring each the spacecraft and the bottom system, with science operations anticipated to renew by mid-June.
Once in one-gyro mode, Hubble is anticipated to proceed making important scientific contributions alongside different observatories, such because the James Webb Space Telescope and the upcoming Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. This change goals to increase Hubble’s mission by means of this decade and past, with most observations remaining unaffected.
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