NASA introduced that it’s transitioning the Hubble Area Telescope to function utilizing just one gyroscope (gyro) to make sure its continued performance and scientific observations. Presently, the telescope is in protected mode, a state it entered on Might 24 attributable to a malfunctioning gyro. Hubble’s gyros measure slew charges and assist management the telescope’s course. Of the six put in in 2009, three stay lively, however one has been offering defective readings, inflicting repeated protected mode entries.
This defective gyro has been experiencing “saturation,” the place it falsely studies most slew charges no matter precise motion. Although resetting the gyro briefly resolved the difficulty, it reoccurred in late Might. To keep up constant operations, NASA is shifting Hubble to a one-gyro mode, conserving 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 affect on statement high quality. Beforehand, from 2005-2009, Hubble operated in a two-gyro mode, which has similarities to the one-gyro mode.
Working in one-gyro mode will introduce minor limitations. The telescope will take longer to slew and lock onto targets and may have much less observational flexibility. Moreover, it gained’t have the ability to observe transferring 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.
As soon as in one-gyro mode, Hubble is anticipated to proceed making vital scientific contributions alongside different observatories, such because the James Webb Area Telescope and the upcoming Nancy Grace Roman Area Telescope. This alteration goals to increase Hubble’s mission by means of this decade and past, with most observations remaining unaffected.
