NASA has recently announced that it has temporarily halted science activities on the Hubble Space Telescope due to a faulty gyroscope. The gyro, which is essential for determining the telescope’s orientation in space, sent inaccurate readings back to Earth, leading to the telescope being placed in safe mode on Tuesday. Despite this issue, NASA stated that Hubble’s instruments are stable and its overall health is good.
The gyroscopes on Hubble play a vital role in its operations by measuring its rate of turning. This is not the first time that a faulty gyro has caused Hubble to enter safe mode, as a similar problem occurred in November 2023. Currently, Hubble’s operating team is working diligently to identify potential solutions to this issue.
If the faulty gyro cannot be fixed, Hubble can be reconfigured to operate with just one gyro while the other gyro remains reserved. This telescope, which celebrated its 34th anniversary in space earlier this year, was fitted with new gyroscopes during its final space shuttle servicing mission in 2009. Although this setback may have caused some concerns about the future of Hubble, NASA remains confident that it will continue to make groundbreaking discoveries collaborating with other observatories.
NASA has assured the public that Hubble will remain a valuable tool for scientific research for many years to come. The agency also mentioned plans to work with other observatories like the James Webb Space Telescope throughout this decade and potentially into the next century. Stay tuned for breaking news about space exploration and skywatching events!