spacetoday.net: Hubble emerges from safe mode

Posted: Fri, May 2, 2003, 8:51 AM ET (1251 GMT)
Hubble Space Telescope (NASA)

The Hubble Space Telescope resumed scientific observations late Wednesday, more than a day after a gyroscope failure caused the spacecraft to enter a protective safe mode. Hubble went into safe mode early Tuesday when one of its three operating gyros suffered a series of current spikes and shut down. Efforts to revive the gyro failed, so controllers active a backup gyro. With three working gryos again, the spacecraft resumed observations Wednesday evening. The failure means that Hubble has only one backup gyro remaining in reserve, although engineers are reportedly looking at ways of orienting the spacecraft using only two gyros instead of the normal three.