The spacecraft headed for a stable orbit at a Lagrange point called L2, then orbited about 1.5 million kilometers beyond Earth. From this distance it will help ensure that the JWST instrument above orbit remains cool, thereby capturing clear images of the universe. (Read also; 5 Spectacular Photos Captured by Space Telescopes, Number 4 5 Billion Light Years Away )
“This is an extraordinary day, not only for America, Europe, and Canada. It is an extraordinary day for planet Earth. We will discover extraordinary things that we never imagined,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson quoted by SINDOnews. from the popsci page, Sunday (12/26/2021).
When launched, this huge telescope folds up to fit in the rocket it launches and during its first week in space it will slowly unfold. The massive mirror, consisting of 18 gold-plated beryllium hexagons, will open along with five thin, aluminum-coated layers of a special polymer film called Kapton.
Quoted from a newscientist site, this Kapton serves as a shield to block light from the sun, Earth and moon to keep the telescope cool. Without this shield, the heat absorbed and re -emitted by the observatory will ruin the image obtained. (Read also; Replace the Hubble Task, NASA’s James Webb Telescope Launches December 24 )
After all components of the telescope are functioning properly, the JWST operator will turn on the various electronic instruments and test them. By the end of January 2022, JWST will reach the L2 point, then the operator will calibrate the instrument for five months or more. After that – if all goes well – JWST begins its science mission.
–This mission has four main pillars, for research and science in astronomy. JWST’s large mirror makes it possible to see objects between 10 and 100 times dimmer than the Hubble telescope can see, and 10 times more accurate in detail.
So the JWST telescope is able to see stars and galaxies located up to 13.6 billion light years away. If all goes well, the $10 billion JWST telescope will have at least 5.5 years of service in space.
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