According to NASA, the James Webb telescope is about to fire its thrusters today, Monday, January 24th, finally reaching its destination when it will enter orbit around the Sun.
It’s a point called Lagrange 2 or L2, at the limit of influence of the Earth’s gravity.
But it will not be now that he will start operating. The telescope will perform instrument testing and calibration procedures. The work is only scheduled for June 2022, a date that should also mark the delivery of the first images obtained by him.
Scientists and engineers take questions online
Scientists and engineers who operate the James Webb Space Telescope will answer questions about the latest in the mission in a live broadcast of NASA at 3:00 pm this Monday, January 24, followed by a media conference call at 4:00 pm.
The broadcast will be live online at NASA site, as well as YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. The conference call audio will be broadcast live on the agency’s website.
Or, if you prefer, watch the live broadcast right here below:
Read more: Differences between the Hubble Telescope and James Webb
Viewers of this episode, “What’s Next for the James Webb Space Telescope?” You can submit questions on social media using the hashtag #UnfoldtheUniverse or by leaving a comment in the chat section of the Facebook or YouTube stream. Audience questions will be answered by:
- Amber Straughn, deputy project scientist for Webb communications, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland;
- Scarlin Hernandez, Flight Systems Engineer, Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore.
Following the episode, NASA will host a media conference call focused on L2 burn and mirror insertion movements, as well as next steps in preparing Webb to change science. The call will feature:
- Lee Feinberg, Webb Optical Telescope Element Manager, Goddard;
- Amy Lo, Webb Vehicle Engineering Lead, Northrop Grumman;
- Keith Parrish, Commissioning Manager, Webb Observatory, Goddard;
- Jane Rigby, Webb Operations Project Scientist, Goddard.
James Webb
The telescope is an international partnership with ESA (European Space Agency) and the Canadian Space Agency, launched on December 25 from the European Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.
On January 8th, Webb finished deploying in space after being stowed inside the nose of the Ariane 5 rocket during its launch.
James Webb will explore all phases of cosmic history – from within the solar system to the most distant observable galaxies of the early universe and everything in between.
It will reveal new and unexpected discoveries and help humanity understand the origins of the universe and our place in it.
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