Webb will reach his goal of 1 million miles in two weeks.
REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, CAPE CANAVERAL — NASA’s new space telescope James Webb opened a large gold-plated flower-shaped mirror on Saturday (8/1/2022). It’s the final step in a dramatic stretch observatory that.
The last part of the 6.5 meter high mirror swung into place at the command of the flight controller, completing the opening Space Telescope James Webb.
“I’m emotional about it. It’s a great achievement. We see a beautiful pattern out there in the sky right now,” said the Head of Mission science NASA, Thomas Zurbuchen, reported by ABC News, Sunday (9/1/2022).
More powerful than the Hubble Space Telescope, the $10 billion Webb will scan the cosmos for streams of light from the first stars and galaxies that formed 13.7 billion years ago. To achieve this, NASA had to equip Webb with the largest and most sensitive mirror ever launched – it’s the golden eye, as scientists call it.
Webb is so large that it had to be folded origami-style to fit on a rocket that launched from South America two weeks ago. The most risky operation occurred earlier this week, when a windshield the size of a tennis court was opened, providing sub-zero shade for mirrors and infrared detectors.
Flight controllers in Baltimore began opening the main rearview mirror on Friday (7/1/2022), opening the left side like a folding table. Saturday’s mood was even more cheerful, with fresh music filling the control room as the right-hand side snapped into place. After clapping, the controllers immediately went back to work, locking everything down.
This mirror is made of beryllium, a metal that is lightweight yet sturdy and cold-resistant. Each of its 18 segments is coated with a very thin layer of gold, highly reflecting infrared light. The hexagonal segments the size of a coffee table will have to be adjusted over the next few days and weeks so they can focus as one on stars, galaxies and alien worlds that may have signs of life in the atmosphere.
Webb will reach his goal of 1 million miles (1.6 million kilometers) in two weeks. If all goes well, scientific observations will begin this summer. Astronomers hope to peer back into 100 million years from Big Bang which forms the universe, closer than what Hubble has achieved.
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