NASA Stuff

[slugboy]

James Webb telescope is set up, and now they’re moving farther from Earth:

 

[GTpdm]

James Webb telescope is set up, and now they’re moving farther from Earth:

Well, in fairness to the rules of orbital mechanics, its been moving further from Earth almost since the moment it was launched. Neat link here:

https://jwst.nasa.gov/content/webbLaunch/whereIsWebb.html

Distance-wise, it is already 75% of the way to the Lagrange point…yet time-wise, it still has over two weeks to go. Once it gets to L2, it will put itself in a halo orbit that will keep it cycling around the periphery of L2. Supposedly, the launch was so accurate that it has a surplus of propellant, and will be able to stay on station for over a decade.

 

[awbuzz]

you have to love it when a plan comes together!

 

[GTpdm]

I stand corrected. The news today is that the Ariane launch was so successful that JWST has twenty years of propellant in its tanks!

 

[GTpdm]

Webb is now in orbit around the L2 point:

 

[GTpdm]

Webb telescope's current operating temperatures...gotta love that 39K on the cold side—that's one helluva helluva helluva helluva helluva heat shield!

(https://www.jwst.nasa.gov/content/webbLaunch/whereIsWebb.html)

 

[awbuzz]

That's COLD

 

[GTpdm]

New update: Webb has completed the image stacking procedure. Now all 18 mirrors are focusing their images on a common point.

Next up:

Coarse Phasing​

Although Image Stacking puts all the light in one place on the detector, the segments are still acting as 18 small telescopes rather than one big one. The segments need to be lined up with each other with an accuracy smaller than the wavelength of the light.

https://blogs.nasa.gov/webb/2022/02/25/webb-mirror-alignment-continues-successfully/

 

[slugboy]

That is really cool. I hope the system has some fault tolerance built in (well, multiple levels of it). Even if everything goes well out of the gate, things break down.

 

[GTpdm]

That is really cool. I hope the system has some fault tolerance built in (well, multiple levels of it). Even if everything goes well out of the gate, things break down.

I’m sure the Hubble manufacturers would agree with you…

 

[GTpdm]

Looks like Webb is almost through with commissioning, and is starting to produce its first test images:

https://blogs.nasa.gov/webb/2022/05/09/miris-sharper-view-hints-at-new-possibilities-for-science/

 

[slugboy]

They’re tracking an asteroid now : https://www.space.com/james-webb-space-telescope-tracks-moving-target

 

[GTpdm]

Coming July 12:

Kudos to NASA for giving me a way-cool birthday present!

 

[GTpdm]

The first Webb images have been released:

https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/...steamy-atmosphere-of-distant-planet-in-detail

 

[MidtownJacket]

These are so cool. Spent the better part of an hour with my three and a half year old showing her some of the photos and talking about the stars and space. What a time to be alive and to be able to teach your kids with these images..

 

[Buzzbomb]

GT grad.-

 

[TampaBuzz]

GT grad.-

How would that shade of gold look on our unis?

 

[GTpdm]

 

[GTpdm]

More Webb coolness:

Zoom in on Webb Telescope's Biggest Image Yet

This new view of the cosmos is even larger than Webb's previous deep field image.

gizmodo.com

You gotta love the name “Space Kraken”

 

[GT33]

Artemis I goes live tomorrow morning.

NASA

www.nasa.gov