On Oct. 12th, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) arrived securely at Port de Pariacabo in French Guiana after spending 16 days traveling between California and South America. Ever since, the observatory was transferred from California to French Guiana and brought to a cleanroom in the Guyanese Space Center (GSC). Here, teams “unboxed” the observatory from its protective freight container in preparation for launch– now targetted for Dec. 18th.
These events were captured in a series of beautiful images recently shared by the Guyanese Space Center, the European Space Agency (ESA), and NASA via their JWST Twitter accounts (more are posted on the NASA JWST Flickr page). This process included thoroughly raising the telescope from its packing container and raising it vertically, the exact same setup Webb its launches to space aboard an Ariane 5 rocket.
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On Oct. 12th, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) showed up safely at Port de Pariacabo in French Guiana after spending 16 days traveling in between California and South America. Because then, the observatory was transported from California to French Guiana and brought to a cleanroom in the Guyanese Space Center (GSC). Preparation began in the mid-90s, a couple of years after the Hubble Space Telescope and Compton Gamma Ray Observatorys successful implementation. With two more “Great Observatories” preparing to go to area by the early 2000s– the Chandra X-ray Observatory and the Spitzer Infrared Space Telescope– NASA coordinators began contemplating what the next step would be.
Once released and functional, the James Webb mission will be the premier area science observatory for the next decade.
The voyage started with the James Webb being transported from Northrop Grummans headquarters in Redondo Beach, California, which is where the foldable observatory went through final tests to make sure that it would deploy and run appropriately as soon as it reached space. By late August, the testing was total, and engineers spent another month folding the observatory up and positioning it in a protective container for transportation.
The JWST being gotten rid of from its protective container. Credit: ESA/CNES/Arianespace
It was then loaded aboard the MN Colibri (a French cargo vessel) and started its journey down the coast towards the Panama Canal and French Guiana. With the objective securely there in one piece, the teams have unloaded it and set it in its launch setup. Quickly, it will be packed aboard a payload pill atop an Ariane 5 rocket and remove from the ESAs Spaceport in Kourou. The transportation of Webb from California to the launch website, and the launch services that will be offered soon, become part of the ESAs contribution to the objective.
The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) is also a factor, having actually provided Webbs Fine Guidance Sensor (FGS) and Near-Infrared Imager and Slitless Spectrograph (NIRISS). These will enable the telescope to point at and focus on things of interest and assist in studying exoplanets, far-off galaxies, and other types of astronomical items (respectively). In exchange, Canadian researchers will receive a guaranteed allocation of Webbs observation time.
This launch, and everything that helped make it possible, is something that the huge neighborhood has waited on practically thirty years to see. Preparation started in the mid-90s, a couple of years after the Hubble Space Telescope and Compton Gamma Ray Observatorys successful release. With two more “Great Observatories” preparing to go to space by the early 2000s– the Chandra X-ray Observatory and the Spitzer Infrared Space Telescope– NASA organizers began contemplating what the next step would be.
In 1996, these strategies culminated with the Next Generation Space Telescope (NGST) project. In 2002, it was renamed after James Webb (1906-1992), NASAs second administrator (from 1961– 1968), who played a main role in the Apollo Program. NASA will be holding a series of virtual media instructions and occasions in the weeks leading up to the launch, beginning with a media rundown on the engineering and spacecraft deployments on Tues.
This will be followed by a morning and afternoon briefing on Thurs. Nov. 18th, which will attend to the science goals and science instruments (respectively). The full schedule can be discovered here. These events are intended to convey the significance of this objective and the scientific advancements that are expected. As NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said in a current NASA press declaration:
” The James Webb Space Telescope is an enormous accomplishment, developed to change our view of deep space and deliver fantastic science. Webb will recall over 13 billion years to the light produced simply after the big bang, with the power to reveal humanity the farthest reaches of area that we have ever seen. We are now very near opening secrets of the universes, thanks to the skills and know-how of our phenomenal group.”
This mission has been a long time in the making and has become only more poignant with all of the hold-ups in the previous couple of years. Some of this developed from spending plan restraints and the current pandemic and from the reality that the JWST is the biggest, most intricate, and many sophisticated observatory ever launched. To ensure that absolutely nothing goes incorrect and servicing missions are needed to get it in working order (as held true with Hubble), every system required to be rigorously evaluated and every “anomaly” worked out ahead of time.
When deployed and functional, the James Webb mission will be the premier space science observatory for the next years. Before this decade is over, it will be signed up with by the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope (RST), called after the “Mother of Hubble.” These and other next-generation observatories will survey the massive structure of the cosmos, aid in the look for extraterrestrial life, and unlock some of the inmost secrets about our Universe!