This Is How Hubble Will Use Its Remaining Gyroscopes To Maneuver In Space
Every mechanical failure brings Hubble one step closer to its demise. But despite the recent setback, it’s still got plenty of life left.
If you want to view the distant Universe with the highest sensitivities and the smallest amounts of contamination possible, your best bet is to go to space. The Hubble Space Telescope, launched in April of 1990, is perhaps the most famous astronomical observatory in all of human history. Orbiting the Earth at an altitude of 550 kilometers (340 miles), at a speed of around 27,000 kph (17,000 mph), it completes a revolution around our planet every 95 minutes.
Simultaneously, the Earth spins on its axis and revolves around the Sun, which in turn moves through the galaxy at nearly 0.1% the speed of light. Yet, somehow, Hubble always manages to point at its astronomical targets stably and without difficulty, despite all of these motions. The key is in its guidance systems and, in particular, in its gyroscopes. Here’s how, despite a recent failure, Hubble is poised to keep revealing the Universe’s secrets for years to come.
