Hubble will change how it points, but NASA says 'great science' will continue

Hubble will change how it points, but NASA says 'great science' will continue toggle caption NASA The Hubble Space Telescope is suffering the kinds of aches and pains that can come with being old, and NASA officials say they’re shifting into a new way of pointing the telescope in order to work around a piece of hardware that’s become intolerably glitchy. NASA’s Clampin told reporters that “after exploring the current commercial capabilities, we are not going to pursue a reboost right now.” He said the assessment of Isaacman’s proposal raised a number of considerations, including potential risks such as “premature loss of science” if Hubble accidentally got damaged. “We do not see Hubble as being on its last legs,” said Patrick Crouse, project manager for the Hubble Space Telescope at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. “Operationally, we believe this is our best approach to support Hubble science through this decade and into the next.” toggle caption ESA/Hubble & NASA, E.Noyola, R. Cohen Using only one healthy gyroscope, and keeping one in reserve as a backup, will let the telescope continue to return gorgeous images of the universe, with some limitations.