Not long ago, the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Hubble telescope celebrated its 34th anniversary in space. Now it has become known that on April 23, it automatically switched to safe mode due to a malfunction of one of the gyroscopes.
NASA said in a statement that the transition to safe mode was made automatically immediately after one of the three gyroscopes located in the Hubble structure transmitted incorrect data. Let us remind you that gyroscopes measure the speed of rotation of the telescope and are part of the system that determines the direction of movement of the Hubble. Since the device has switched to safe mode, it is not currently conducting scientific activities and is awaiting further commands from Earth.
It was this gyroscope that forced Hubble into safe mode last November after a similar failure. NASA engineers are currently exploring options to solve the problem. If necessary, the telescope can be reconfigured to work with one gyroscope, and the second will be placed in reserve. At the time of Hubble's last maintenance in 2009, the telescope was equipped with six gyroscopes. Currently, three of them remain operational, including the one that is transmitting incorrect data for the second time.
To achieve maximum efficiency, the device uses three gyroscopes, but if necessary, it can work with one. NASA expects Hubble to continue making groundbreaking discoveries, working together with other observatories such as the James Webb Space Telescope, throughout this decade and perhaps into the next.
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