Equipment failure on NASA's Hubble space telescope means fewer observations, officials say
The Hubble space telescope will operate with just one gyroscope going forward, which will limit its scientific capability, NASA announced.
Hubble has run into more trouble.
The space telescope slipped into a hibernating state more than a week ago when one of its three remaining gyroscopes — part of the pointing system — malfunctioned. The same device had been acting up for months and disrupting scientific operations.
NASA said Tuesday that attempts to fix it failed and it will operate with just one gyroscope, which will limit its scientific capability.
The switch will keep Hubble idle until mid-June. The telescope won’t be as nimble as before and will take longer to zero in on targets. Hubble won’t be able to conduct as many observations, but should be able to keep making discoveries the rest of this decade and next, according to officials.
“We do not see Hubble as being on its last legs,” said NASA project manager Patrick Crouse.
Rating: 5