Webb in micrometeorological impact
A micrometeorological strike in late May 2022 marked one of the main mirror sections of the James Webb Space Telescope – Hubble’s successor – NASA said on Wednesday, June 8, 2022. Webb pilots were waiting for micrometeorologists to strike. But the strength of this particular strike – the fifth recorded since the instrument was launched – was greater than its operators expected. NASA said its engineers would have to adjust the instrument to compensate for the unexpected premature damage. NASA, meanwhile, said in a blog post: After initial estimates, the team found that the telescope was still delivering at a level that exceeded all shipping requirements despite the marginally detectable effect on the data. Thorough analyzes and measurements are underway. Is there a discussion about replacing the mirror part? No, and probably will not. The damage does not seem to be big enough for such a drastic step. And the telescope is in orbit away from Earth – a million miles (1.6 million km) from Earth – at point L-2 in the Earth-Sun system.
Micrometeorological impacts are expected
The title of NASA’s June 8 blog post announcing the micrometeorological strike is Webb: Engineered to Endure Micrometeoroid Impacts. The post quoted Lee Feinberg, director of Webb optical telescope data at NASA Goddard, as saying: With Webb mirrors exposed to space, we expected that occasional micrometeorological impacts would gracefully degrade the telescope’s performance over time. Since the launch, we have had four smaller measurable micrometeorological impacts that were in line with expectations, and this one more recently than we anticipate for the downgrade. We will use this in-flight data to update our performance analysis over time and also develop business approaches to ensure we maximize Webb visualization performance to the best of our ability for many years to come. Webb operators believe the latest strike took place between May 23 and 25.
Designed to be tough
Engineers designed the Webb telescope to be hard. Indeed, it underwent a complete test to mimic the conditions it will experience beyond the Earth’s lunar orbit. NASA says the Webb was built to last a lifetime and stay functional. A NASA blog post quoted Paul Geithner, technical deputy project director at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, as saying: We have always known that Webb would have to transcend the space environment, which includes hard ultraviolet light and charged particles from the sun, cosmic rays from exotic sources in the galaxy, and occasional micrometeorological impacts into our solar system. We designed and built the Webb with a margin of performance – optical, thermal, electrical, mechanical – to ensure that it can accomplish its ambitious scientific mission even after many years in space.
Compensation for micrometeorological shock
Since engineers were expecting this type of damage on the Webb, ground controllers can compensate somewhat. They can do this, for example, by repositioning the mirror section. NASA said: Engineers have already made a first such adjustment for the recently affected C3 section, and additional programmed mirror adjustments will continue to improve this correction. These steps will be repeated when needed in response to future events as part of the telescope monitoring and maintenance throughout the mission.
The first Webb science results will be released on July 12
The current period is a stressful period for those running the Webb. The instrument is currently being prepared for six months before the start of primary data collection. The first color images from the telescope will be released on July 12, 2022. It is important that this date should mark the beginning of a new era of understanding the universe around us. Eric Smith, a Webb scientist at NASA headquarters in Washington, D.C., said: As we approach the end of the observatory’s preparation for science, we are on the brink of an incredibly exciting period of discovery for our universe. The release of Webb’s first color images will provide a unique moment for all of us to stop and admire a view that humanity has never seen before. These images will be the culmination of decades of dedication, talent and dreams – but they will also be just the beginning. Technicians are preparing the Webb telescope for launch in December 2021. Beneath the ring on the floor is the Ariane 5 rocket that launched it into space for its journey to L2. This point in space – the 2nd Lagrangian point – is where, in the Earth-Sun system, the gravitational forces and orbital motion of a body balance each other. Thus an object can be “suspended” relatively easily in L2. But L2 is very far, almost 1 million miles (1.5 million km) behind the Earth as seen from the sun. It is about 4 times the distance of the moon. Image via ESA. Bottom line: A micrometeorological impact slightly destroyed one of the Webb telescope’s primary mirror portions. Fortunately, the instrument still performs well beyond the parameters of the mission. Its first color images will be released on July 12, 2022.
Dave Antalian
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Award-winning reporter and author Dave Adalian’s love affair with the world began during an old school trip to the famous and revered Lick Observatory on Mount Hamilton, California, east of San Jose in the foggy Diablos Mountains and just above Monterey Cole. edge of the endless blue Pacific Ocean. This journey continues today as Dave continues his nocturnal adventures, climbing in the dark through the telescope’s eyepiece or chasing wandering stars in the night fields as a naked observer. A lifelong resident of Tulare County, California – an agricultural paradise where the Greater Joaquin Valley meets the Sierra Nevada on endless miles of grassy hills – Dave grew up in a desert larger than Delaunay, and with the greatest diversity of flora and fauna in the US, one that spends its nights under the black skies that rise above some of the highest mountain peaks and largest roadless areas on the North American continent. Dave studied English, American literature and mass communication at Sequoia College and the University of California, Santa Barbara. He has worked as a reporter and editor for a number of online and offline news publications over a career spanning nearly 30 years to date. His greatest literary hope is to share his passion for astronomy and all worldly things with anyone who wants to take part in the adventure and explore the past, present and future of the universe.
