The James Webb Telescope is one of today’s most important scientific projects – it can help answer the most pressing questions in cosmology. His launch into space was postponed for many years, but he finally set out on his mission at the end of last year. But now another complication has emerged: micrometeorites.
According to NASA, this was the fifth micrometeorite impact she recorded with the telescope, but the first, which was stronger than expected. But he was still weak enough to affect the image quality in any way.
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“Micrometeoroid impacts are an inevitable aspect of the operation of any spacecraft that normally suffers many impacts during long scientific missions in space,” NASA said in a statement. It is logical that the larger the probe, the more likely it is to be hit in space. And because Webb’s telescope has a mirror with a diameter of 6.5 meters, the designers expected a relatively high chance of smaller collisions.
The binoculars are structurally protected against weaker impacts, especially the ability to adjust the position of damaged or insufficiently effective parts of the mirror. However, if the micrometeorite were too large and flew too fast, then it would affect the properties of the telescope.
Researchers have calculated how strong such an impact would have to be, a safe limit they call a “tolerance limit.” The crash that overcame it occurred between May 23 and 25. Subsequent tests, however, showed that “the telescope, despite its marginally detectable effect on the data, still operates at a level that exceeds all mission requirements.” described NASA.
The first results will come soon
This is especially important because the telescope is still not fully operational, it will not be fully operational until July 12, and its instruments are still being calibrated.
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“We have always known that Webb will have to withstand the effects of the cosmic environment, which includes sharp ultraviolet light and charged particles from the Sun, cosmic radiation from exotic sources in the galaxy, and the occasional impact of micrometeoroids in our solar system,” said Paul Geithner of Goddard Space Flight Center. .
“We designed and built it with sufficient reserves – optical, thermal, electrical and mechanical – to ensure that it could fulfill its ambitious scientific mission even after many years in space,” he added.
NASA is also trying to find something positive about the problem. She said in a statement that the Webb’s telescope is actually a great micrometeorite detector because of its size, so tracking their impacts can help them understand how they behave in the solar system.
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