The Hubble Space Telescope, despite its technical problems, will continue to operate until 2035. TheNASA goal is to keep it operational, albeit with some limitations.
The Hubble Telescope has been operational since 1990 and has revolutionized our knowledge of the universe, allowing us to observe details that ground-based telescopes could not detect. However, his gyroscopes, which ensure his orientation, are degrading. Of the six gyroscopes on board, only three were still functional until recently. Recently, one of these started having problems.
NASA’s new strategy for the Hubble telescope
To prolong the mission as much as possible, NASA officials decided to have Hubble work with only one active gyroscope, leaving the other intact one turned off. This mode of operation it will limit the speed of movement of the telescope by approximately 10%, but will allow its operational life to be extended. This limitation could affect the ability to track fast-moving objects, such as Mars, but NASA says it will not have a major impact on the science program.
Possible future maintenance missions
Mark Clampin, head of NASA for scientific missions, he stated that they are not excluded future missions by private individuals for maintenance of the telescope or for its repositioning in orbit. This possibility could help keep Hubble operational even longer, thus ensuring the continuity of its precious astronomical observations.
The Hubble Telescope has had a huge impact on ours comprehension of the universe and, despite his ailments, he will continue to be a fundamental tool for space research. What do you think about these technical challenges? Do you think NASA will be able to keep Hubble operational until 2035?
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