The Hubble Space Telescope resumed science observations on Friday after ground teams spent most of the last three weeks assessing the performance of a finicky gyroscope, NASA said.
Hubble’s gyros measure how fast the spacecraft is turning, helping the telescope aim its aperture toward distant cosmic wonders.
Hubble still provides valuable scientific data for astronomers nearly 34 years since its launch aboard NASA’s Space Shuttle Discovery in 1990.
Five more shuttle servicing missions repaired Hubble, upgraded its science instruments, and replaced hardware degraded from long-term use in space.
Electronics within each gyro detect very small movements of the axis of the wheel, which supply Hubble’s central computer with information about the spacecraft’s turn rate.
This gyroscope, designated Gyro 3, has always exhibited “consistent noisy behavior,” said Pat Crouse, Hubble project manager at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.
The original article contains 477 words, the summary contains 137 words. Saved 71%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!