Hubble Telescope in 'Safe Mode' After Gyro Failure

NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, photographed during the first astronaut servicing mission in 1993. (Credit: NASA) On Friday, NASA's iconic Hubble Space Telescope, our window into the universe since 1990, went into a protective safe mode after one of its gyroscopes failed. Hubble was built with six gyroscopes designed to keep the telescope pointed the same way for long periods of time. These six gyroscopes were replaced during a 2009 repair mission to the telescope. But, over the years, some of these gyroscopes have failed and stopped functioning properly.