Hubble Equipment Failure Means Fewer Observations, NASA Officials Say

An STS-125 crew member aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis captured this image of NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope on May 19, 2009. NASA via AP

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.—Hubble has run into more trouble.

The space telescope slipped into a hibernating state more than a week ago when one of its three remaining gyroscopes—part of the pointing system—malfunctioned. The same device had been acting up for months and disrupting scientific operations.