Graphic of Hubble's gyros and reaction wheels.

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1. AkaSci 🛰️ (akasci@fosstodon.org)'s status on Tuesday, 30-Apr-2024 19:08:45 UTC AkaSci 🛰️

   in reply to

   Birthdays are unfortunately also reminders of one's advancing age and creaky body parts 🙁

   The 34-year old Hubble Space Telescope has been down since April 23 due to a malfunctioning gyroscope, needed for accurate pointing.

   The same gyro caused Hubble to enter safe mode last November.

   Only 3 out of 6 gyros have been working since 2018. Hubble can operate with just one gyro at somewhat reduced functionality, but NASA is attempting to revive the faulty unit first.

   https://science.nasa.gov/missions/hubble/nasas-hubble-pauses-science-due-to-gyro-issue/
   3/n