Just a few weeks after the thriller’s release, James Webb Space Telescope Already looking for focus in outer space.
Engineer initiates alignment procedure for just opened 18 pcs large gold mirrors. The NASA office wrote at Blog update Uploaded on Wednesday (12 January).
The action begins with engineers leading the 132 movers and deployments Main mirror clip And a secondary mirror, just to make sure everything responds as expected. The team is also working to ensure that the actuators work to orient the Webb mirror in the correct orientation, which will be used during the image stabilization process.
Live update: NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope Mission
Taking pictures: NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope launches on Christmas
The observatory team will spend about 10 days working to move the mirror clips out of launch alignment, with more precise work continuing after that time.
The goal is for all of Webb to function as a single observatory in space, which will be of great importance to telescopes. ambitious agenda To tell us more about the early universe and the life history of the things that were a part of it.
NASA estimates that the alignment will take about three months, which should bring this work into mid-April as long as everything is on schedule. Webb launches on December 25th and may have enough fuel 20 years of knowledge Thanks to shooting accuracy, but it all depends on the mirror working properly.
“The ground team is now beginning to instruct the primary mirror and secondary mirror segments to move from their buffer configuration to launch, from the hassle of keeping them tight and safe from vibration from vibration,” NASA said. “This movement will take at least ten days, after which engineers can begin a three-month process of aligning the parts to act as a single mirror.”
Webb is still on his way to the so-called “parking lot” Lagrange Point of the Earth’s Sun 2 (L2) is about 930,000 miles (1.5 million km) from our planet. It will launch the engine on January 23 to launch into the area.
The next-generation telescope will have to complete about six months of commissioning activity, then begin a series of science programs earlier this summer, covering everything from studying exoplanets to exploring the early universe.
Follow Elizabeth Howell on Twitter @howellspace. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and continue Facebook social networking site.
–