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STS-125 Second Atlantis Spacewalk to Repair Hubble Gyroscopes

by Jordan Yerman | May 15, 2009 at 08:35 am

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The second STS-125 spacewalk mission is underway, as the Atlantis crew works to repair the Hubble Space Telescope's gyroscopes. These gyros give the telescope its sense of balance, enabling it to find and focus upon its subjects.

Watch ongoing live video of the mission streamed at: NASA TV

The gyros tend to wear out, and have already been replaced ten years ago. Since then, the Hubble has been upgraded to function on fewer gyros.

In a worst-case scenario, it can make do with only one, but I guess that's like doing handheld portraiture in low light: not ideal.

Key to the telescope's success is its ability to point and hold steady on a target, which project managers say is like illuminating a dime with a laser beam from 200 miles (320 km) away.

That trick is accomplished with spinning gyroscopes, all six of which are expected to be replaced by astronauts Michael Massimino and Michael Good, during the second of five spacewalks planned during shuttle Atlantis' ongoing Hubble telescope servicing mission.