Hubble image archive

Giving Guidance: Replacing the Fine Guidance Sensors (1997)

Astronauts Joseph Tanner – on the robotic arm – and Gregory Harbaugh replace the Hubble Space Telescope's Fine Guidance Sensors (FGS) in 1997. The FGS are used to locate and lock onto a target star while science instruments make observations. They can also perform measurements on...

Date
Apr 24, 1990
Mission
Hubble Space Telescope
Archive ID
hubblesite-images-3826-image
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Astronauts Joseph Tanner – on the robotic arm – and Gregory Harbaugh replace the Hubble Space Telescope's Fine Guidance Sensors (FGS) in 1997. The FGS are used to locate and lock onto a target star while science instruments make observations. They can also perform measurements on the positions and motions of stars. Each sensor is more than five feet (1.5 m) wide and three feet (0.9 m) long, and weighs 485 pounds (219 kg). The telescope’s pointing accuracy and stability depend heavily on the Fine Guidance Sensors.

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NASA

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Image and source material are credited to the official mission archive linked below.

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