Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more.The Hubble Space Telescope will transition to a new way of operating that aims to prevent the space observatory from experiencing lapses in its ability to observe the universe, according to NASA officials.The storied telescope, which has captured breathtaking images of the cosmos for 34 years, has traditionally operated using six gyroscopes. These gyroscopes, or gyros, are part of a system that controls and determines the direction the telescope is pointed in, said Mark Clampin, director of the Astrophysics Division within NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, during a news conference Tuesday.As Hubble shifts in direction to capture images of exoplanets, galaxies and other celestial phenomena, the gyros measure the rate of the telescope’s movement so it arrives in the right place for the next science observation, Clampin said.As the telescope has aged, the gyros have required replacement, and six new gyros were installed during the final Hubble servicing mission that astronauts aboard a NASA space shuttle conducted in 2009. NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope eyes the universe in May 2009 after one of the space shuttle missions to service the space observatory. – NASAOver time, some of the gyros have stopped functioning, but three have remained operational, making no change to how the telescope operates — until now.Faulty readings disrupt HubbleOver the past six months, one of the three remaining gyroscopes has been returning faulty readings that have caused the telescope to enter “safe mode” multiple times and cease its observations of the universe, Clampin said.The Hubble team has been able to reset the gyro from the ground, but these fixes …
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[mwai_chat context=”Let’s have a discussion about this article:nnSign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more.The Hubble Space Telescope will transition to a new way of operating that aims to prevent the space observatory from experiencing lapses in its ability to observe the universe, according to NASA officials.The storied telescope, which has captured breathtaking images of the cosmos for 34 years, has traditionally operated using six gyroscopes. These gyroscopes, or gyros, are part of a system that controls and determines the direction the telescope is pointed in, said Mark Clampin, director of the Astrophysics Division within NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, during a news conference Tuesday.As Hubble shifts in direction to capture images of exoplanets, galaxies and other celestial phenomena, the gyros measure the rate of the telescope’s movement so it arrives in the right place for the next science observation, Clampin said.As the telescope has aged, the gyros have required replacement, and six new gyros were installed during the final Hubble servicing mission that astronauts aboard a NASA space shuttle conducted in 2009. NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope eyes the universe in May 2009 after one of the space shuttle missions to service the space observatory. – NASAOver time, some of the gyros have stopped functioning, but three have remained operational, making no change to how the telescope operates — until now.Faulty readings disrupt HubbleOver the past six months, one of the three remaining gyroscopes has been returning faulty readings that have caused the telescope to enter “safe mode” multiple times and cease its observations of the universe, Clampin said.The Hubble team has been able to reset the gyro from the ground, but these fixes …nnDiscussion:nn” ai_name=”RocketNews AI: ” start_sentence=”Can I tell you more about this article?” text_input_placeholder=”Type ‘Yes'”]
