After more than three weeks of inactivity, NASA says its iconic Hubble Space Telescope was officially back up and running as of late Friday night, Oct. 26.
The U.S. space agency reports on its website the Hubble made its first science observation since one of its gyros failed on Oct. 5 during Saturday’s early morning hours. A gyro is described by NASA as being a “device that measures the speed at which the spacecraft is turning, which is necessary to help Hubble turn and lock on to new targets.”
NASA says it activated one of Hubble’s backup gyros in the immediate aftermath, but that it did more harm than good as it “incorrectly returned rotation rates that were far in excess of the actual rates.”
On Friday, the Hubble Space Telescope went into safe mode due to a failed gyro – used to keep the telescope precisely pointed for long periods. Mission experts are taking steps to return Hubble to great science. More updates will follow.
— Hubble (@NASAHubble) October 8, 2018
Before it successfully returned to science operations, the space agency subjected the telescope to a number of maneuvers and turns while switching the gyro between operational modes. NASA says its team at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland was able to accomplish these tasks without issue.
“Hubble is now back in its normal science operations mode with three fully functional gyros,” the space agency reports.
“Originally required to last 15 years, Hubble has now been at the forefront of scientific discovery for more than 28 years. The team expects the telescope will continue to yield amazing discoveries well into the next decade, enabling it to work alongside the James Webb Space Telescope.”
Hubble is back!!! At 9:00 PM EDT last night the spacecraft was returned to normal science operations, and at 2:10 AM EDT today it completed its first science observations since October 5. For more details: https://t.co/lT2Wpycqw2 pic.twitter.com/RIcrSyJ2hF
— Hubble (@NASAHubble) October 27, 2018
We want to extend a huge thank you to the Hubble operations team for working around the clock to get this telescope back to normal science operations! pic.twitter.com/Z9TAh9Wm0B
— Hubble (@NASAHubble) October 27, 2018
Original Article can be found by clicking here
Read Again Hubble Space Telescope is back up and running after 3 weeks of inactivity : https://ift.tt/2CUcJzBBagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Hubble Space Telescope is back up and running after 3 weeks of inactivity"
Post a Comment