Hubble Space Telescope has a problem

The gyroscope incident caused NASA to misjudge in the observation process.

Hubble, the 28-year-old space telescope of the US Aeronautics Agency (NASA) must switch to "safety mode" due to a gyroscope incident on October 6. The device must suspend all scientific observations, according to AFP.

NASA's Hubble Space Telescope.(Photo: NBC News).

Speaking in a statement on October 8, NASA representative said one of Hubble's three gyroscopes had problems. This is an important device used to orient and fix telescopes in orbit.

The engineering team from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center and the US Space Telescope Science Institute are examining and analyzing the incident to bring the gyroscope back to work soon."Hubble has switched to safe mode. The telescope is set to a stable configuration until the problem is fixed , " NASA said.

Hubble equipped a total of 6 gyroscopes, but half of them were broken. With the latest incident, NASA's telescope has only two active gyroscopes. In fact, Hubble can still operate with a gyroscope, but it needs at least three gyroscopes to optimize operation. In addition to the gyroscope, Hubble's remaining devices still work well, can support scientific research for years to come.

Since being launched into orbit in 1990, Hubble has made outstanding contributions to humanity's exploration of the universe with about 1.3 million observations. Last week, astronomers discovered the first moon outside the solar system with Hubble's support. , Hubble replacement equipment, expected to be put into orbit in March 2021.