Is Hubble 'watching' its last? NASA downplays gyro failures

A major glitch in a gyroscope, a key navigation instrument, forced the Hubble Space Telescope, the world's second most powerful, to go into safe mode on April 23, putting all the ongoing scientific observations on hold.

This isn't Hubble's first brush with a gyroscope malfunction back in November 2023, a similar failure rendered it offline for a fortnight. Surprisingly, the very same gyroscope that caused the last shutdown has once again broken down. With this history of glitches in view, NASA is moving heaven and Earth to get Hubble back online.

According to Interesting Engineering, theHubble Telescopewas equipped with six gyroscopes in 2009, of which three are in action. “Hubble uses three gyros to maximise efficiency but could continue to make science observations with only one gyro if required,” per NASA.

Think of tiny super-speedy flywheels! That's exactly what Hubble's gyroscopes are. Each one spins at a mind-blowing 19,200 revolutions per minute. This incredible speed creates a special force called "angular momentum" that acts like an invisible gyroscope in a toy, keeping the telescope steady and pointed in the right direction during its space adventures. Since these gyroscopes are like the telescope's eyes, their readings are crucial for deciding where to point, how much to turn, and how quickly to adjust its sight.

“Gyros provide rotation information as Hubble turns from target to target: moving the telescope in small increments, centring an instrument’s field-of-view on the target, or tracking a moving object. They also help prevent Hubble from drifting away from its desired pointing direction.

“Hubble will continue making groundbreaking discoveries, working with other observatories, such as the agency’s James Webb Space Telescope, throughout this decade and possibly into the next,”according to NASA.