In addition to taking a look at remote stars, galaxies and exoplanets, the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope will examine our Solar System. Credit: Northrup Grumman
On January 15, NASAs James Webb Space Telescopes Near Infrared Imager and Slitless Spectrograph (NIRISS) experienced a communications delay within the science instrument, causing its flight software to time out. Following a full investigation by NASA and Canadian Space Agency (CSA) teams, the cause was identified to most likely be a stellar cosmic ray, a form of high-energy radiation from outside our planetary system that can in some cases disrupt electrical systems. Experiencing cosmic rays is a anticipated and normal part of operating any spacecraft. This cosmic ray occasion impacted logic in the solid-state circuitry of NIRISS electronic devices called the Field Programmable Gate Array. Webb engineers figured out that rebooting the instrument would bring it back to complete performance.
After completing the reboot, NIRISS telemetry data demonstrated regular timing, and to totally validate, the team arranged a test observation. On January 28, the Webb group sent out commands to the instrument to perform the observation, and the results validated on January 30 NIRISS is back to full scientific operations.
The Near-Infrared Imager and Slitless Spectrograph (NIRISS) is one of Webbs 4 clinical instruments. As the only instrument capable of aperture mask interferometry, NIRISS has the special capability to catch images of brilliant items at a resolution greater than the other imagers. NIRISS is a contribution of the Canadian Space Agency.
When carrying out the operation, reviews were held at each intermediate step. We are now happy to report that Webbs NIRISS instrument is back online, and is performing optimally,” said Julie Van Campen, Webb Integrated Science Instrument Module (ISIM) systems engineer at NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.
On January 15, NASAs James Webb Space Telescopes Near Infrared Imager and Slitless Spectrograph (NIRISS) experienced a communications delay within the science instrument, triggering its flight software to time out. Webb engineers identified that restarting the instrument would bring it back to full functionality.
The Near-Infrared Imager and Slitless Spectrograph (NIRISS) is one of Webbs 4 clinical instruments. We are now pleased to report that Webbs NIRISS instrument is back online, and is performing efficiently,” stated Julie Van Campen, Webb Integrated Science Instrument Module (ISIM) systems engineer at NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.