Episode 547: Spacecraft Gyroscopes And Reaction Wheels. You Can Never Have Enough

It’s amazing to think there are telescopes up in space, right now, directing their gaze at distant objects for hours, days and even weeks. Providing a point of view so stable and accurate that we can learn details about galaxies, exoplanets and more. And then, when the time is up, the spacecraft can shift its gaze in another direction. All without the use of fuel. It’s all thanks to the technology of reaction wheels and gyroscopes. Let’s talk about how they work, how they’re different, and how their failure has ended missions in the past. 06:49 Scientists May Have Figure Out Why So Many Spacecraft Were Failing - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KibT-PEMHUU Our Book is out! https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Today-Ultimate-Viewing-Cosmos/dp/1624145442/ Audio Podcast version: ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/id794058155?mt=2 RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/audio What Fraser's Watching Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbJ42wpShvmkjd428BcHcCEVWOjv7cJ1G Weekly email newsletter: https://www.universetoday.com/newsletter Weekly Space Hangout: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0-KklSGlCiJDwOPdR2EUcg/ Astronomy Cast: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUHI67dh9jEO2rvK--MdCSg Support us at: http://www.patreon.com/universetoday More stories at: http://www.universetoday.com/ Twitch: https://twitch.tv/fcain Follow us on Twitter: @universetoday Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/universetoday Instagram - https://instagram.com/universetoday Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / frasercain@gmail.com Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw Chad Weber - weber.chad@gmail.com References: https://www.nature.com/news/the-wheels-come-off-kepler-1.13032 http://www.planetary.org/blogs/jason-davis/lightsail-2-successful-flight-by-light.html https://astrobites.org/2013/05/21/kepler-reaction-wheel-failure-cripples-spacecraft-but-mission-thrives/ https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/dawn/news/dawn20120418.html https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/blog/2016/1/dawns-sunny-side-views-of-dwarf-planet-ceres/#RWAs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KibT-PEMHUU https://www.spacetelescope.org/announcements/ann1818/ https://jwst.nasa.gov/content/forScientists/faqScientists.html#wheels https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFmOr1vMOT4