NASA plans to resume operation of the Hubble Space Telescope. It is expected that it will return to observations on December 8.
Problems with Hubble arose at the end of November. They were connected to one of the gyroscopes. This instrument is used to orient the spacecraft in space and point the telescope. As a result, the mission’s specialists had to switch it to safe mode.
A message posted on NASA’s website says that after conducting a series of tests, engineers are ready to continue working with the telescope. It is expected that it will resume observations on December 8. It was also reported that, based on the analysis of the data obtained during the tests, the team decided to use gyroscopes in a more accurate mode during scientific observations. The Hubble instruments and the observatory remain stable and in good condition.
Technical problems with the Hubble Telescope
In total, Hubble is equipped with six gyroscopes. But only three of them are still operational. If Hubble loses another instrument, it will reduce the efficiency of its operation, since these three gyroscopes ensure the most accurate pointing of the telescope. In theory, the spacecraft will be able to work with even one such instrument. But then only a limited area of the sky will be available for observation.
After news of the telescope’s problems, billionaire Jared Isaacman, who funds the private Polaris space flight program, called on NASA to send one of these missions to Hubble. According to him, it could raise the telescope’s orbit and give it an additional decade of life. He also said that Hubble could be repaired in space. At the moment, NASA has not publicly commented on these statements.
Follow us on Twitter to get the most interesting space news in time
https://twitter.com/ust_magazine
