December 23, 2024

James Webb Space Telescope nails secondary mirror deployment

Through this opening, the light reaches the 3rd mirror, which shows it to the telescopes instruments.The secondary mirror took a trip to space stowed on top of the main mirror, attached to 3 26-feet-long (8 m) legs that form its supporting tripod.On Wednesday (Jan. 5), operators at Webbs operations center at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore launched latches that protected the legs in place during launch. Related: A James Webb Space Telescope astronomer discusses how to send a giant telescope to area– and whyThis animation of the James Webb Space Telescope reveals how light is shown from its mirrors onto its scientific instruments.” James Webb Space Telescopes operators can keep an eye on the observatorys implementation by means of a visualization tool that receives telemetry data from the spacecraft.

Through this opening, the light reaches the 3rd mirror, which reflects it to the telescopes instruments.The secondary mirror took a trip to space stowed on top of the primary mirror, connected to three 26-feet-long (8 m) legs that form its supporting tripod.On Wednesday (Jan. 5), operators at Webbs operations center at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore released locks that protected the legs in place during launch. Related: A James Webb Space Telescope astronomer describes how to send out a giant telescope to space– and whyThis animation of the James Webb Space Telescope reveals how light is shown from its mirrors onto its clinical instruments.” James Webb Space Telescopes operators can keep an eye on the observatorys release by means of a visualization tool that receives telemetry information from the spacecraft. (Image credit: NASA) The telescopes release sequence was a source of apprehension with some describing it as stressful. Those services, which see the telescope self-assemble in space like a transformer, have actually never in the past been used in space.