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Planetary News: Hubble Space Telescope (2005)The Hubble Continues Its Observations With Only Two GyroscopesSeptember 1, 2005 As NASA continues to weigh the risks and benefits of a shuttle mission to service the Hubble, the space telescope itself is settling in for the long haul. This week, engineers shut down one of the three on-board gyroscopes, leaving the telescope to operate on only two. By preserving the third gyro from the wear and tear of regular operations, the engineers hope to keep it in working for the later stages of the mission. This alone will extend the Hubble’s lifespan, regardless of whether it is serviced by the shuttle. The gyroscopes are a crucial part of the Hubble’s pointing control system, which points the telescope at a desired celestial object and keeps it pointed there as the telescope orbits the Earth. The three gyroscopes normally control the telescope’s three rotation axes, and with only two in operation one of these directions will go unmonitored. The Hubble’s “Fine Guidance Sensors,” however, will be able to fill in the missing information and keep the Hubble’s observations on track. The end result, say Hubble engineers, will be a telescope fully as effective as it was when operating on all three gyroscopes. “Hubble science on two gyros will be indistinguishable from the superb science we have become accustomed to over the years” said senior Hubble scientist David Leckrone. When the Hubble space telescope was launched it carried with it six gyroscopes – three to operate with and another three in reserve. Two of these are no longer functional, leaving the telescope with only four to work with. By using the remaining gyroscopes efficiently, two at a time, the Hubble’s controllers estimate that the telescope will stay operational into the middle of 2008, without any servicing mission. This is about 8 months longer than was previously expected. |
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