NASA's gamma-ray observatory is in safe mode after a possible wheel failure

There is a visualization of the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory. The image is from NASA.

NASA's Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory has temporarily stopped its science observations while it investigates an issue.

On Tuesday night, the observatory went into safe mode and paused all science work. The mission team continues to explore the cause of the reaction wheel failure.
Swift uses six reaction wheels to point itself in the direction of possible GRBs. The problematic wheel was turned off when the observatory detected the issue this week. This is the first failure of the telescope's reaction wheel.

A record-breaking gamma-ray burst has been captured.

While the team continues to work on the suspected failure of the sixth wheel, mission personnel also hope to get Swift's science instruments back up and running with just five wheels.
After a possible reaction wheel failure, the Swift Observatory's science instruments went into safe mode. Pointed science observations are temporarily suspended. The instruments and other wheels are in good shape.

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Neil Gehrels, the mission's principal investigator, died in 2003 and Swift was named after him. The telescope lifted off on a mission to study the behavior of the stars. NASA says that the most energetic form of light is the short-lived bursts.
The dense remnants of supernovas are thought to be the origin of them. Scientists are still trying to understand the bright phenomena that the spacecraft was sent to observe.
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