{"id":3537,"date":"2022-01-11T22:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-01-11T22:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/?p=3537"},"modified":"2022-01-11T04:56:56","modified_gmt":"2022-01-11T04:56:56","slug":"james-webb-telescope-now-fully-deployed-sets-its-sights-to-the-stars","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/james-webb-telescope-now-fully-deployed-sets-its-sights-to-the-stars\/","title":{"rendered":"James Webb Telescope\u2014Now Fully Deployed\u2014Sets Its Sights To the Stars"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>December 25, 2021, 7:20 a.m., UTC -5. Aboard the European Space Agency\u2019s (ESA) heavy-lift space launch vehicle <em>Ariane 5<\/em>, the <a href=\"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/the-james-webb-space-telescope-finally-nears-its-fateful-launch\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>James Webb Space Telescope<\/em><\/a> (JWST) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/press-release\/nasas-webb-telescope-launches-to-see-first-galaxies-distant-worlds\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">launched off the Guiana Space Centre<\/a> in French Guiana.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The roughly US$10-billion \u201cbet\u201d from NASA, with contributions from the ESA, was launched off into space with fingers crossed that things would go as planned as it travels the 1.5 million km (930,000 mi) between the launchpad and the Lagrange point L<sub>2<\/sub>, an area in space behind the Earth-Sun pair where the centrifugal forces on a body at that point would be roughly balanced out by the collective gravitational forces exerted by both the Earth and the Sun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed aligncenter is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"James Webb Space Telescope Launch \u2014 Official NASA Broadcast\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/7nT7JGZMbtM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption> NASA has uploaded the entire launch sequence of the James Webb Space Telescope to their YouTube channel, which can be viewed above. (NASA, 2021) <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>At the time of writing, <a href=\"https:\/\/jwst.nasa.gov\/content\/webbLaunch\/whereIsWebb.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">the JWST is a bit shy of 80% of the way towards L<sub>2<\/sub><\/a>. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/press-release\/nasa-s-webb-telescope-reaches-major-milestone-as-mirror-unfolds\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Its primary mirrors managed to fully deploy<\/a> just a few days ago back on January 8 of this new year, which marks the completion of the final stage of <a href=\"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/inside-the-soon-to-launch-james-webb-space-telescope\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">the JWST\u2019s major deployments<\/a> prior to formal scientific operations. The successful mirror deployment also ticks several marks off the 344-long list of \u201c<em>single-point failure components<\/em>\u201d, a list of so-called crucial components that, should any one of them have failed in the trip towards L<sub>2<\/sub>, would have effectively compromised the entirety of the mission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This litany of possible failure points is a real risk for the JWST, as the telescope\u2019s final position at Lagrange point L<sub>2<\/sub> is too far away for any reasonable manned missions to visit it for repairs or refueling. This is the reason why scientists all over the world breathed out a simultaneous sigh of relief as its primary mirror was deployed. Of course, the worries don\u2019t end there, as the telescope must still make its way 1.5 million km out into space before it can begin looking into the origins of the universe with unprecedented detail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img  decoding=\"async\"  src=\"data:image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABAQMAAAAl21bKAAAAA1BMVEUAAP+KeNJXAAAAAXRSTlMAQObYZgAAAAlwSFlzAAAOxAAADsQBlSsOGwAAAApJREFUCNdjYAAAAAIAAeIhvDMAAAAASUVORK5CYII=\"  alt=\"\"  class=\" pk-lazyload\"  data-pk-sizes=\"auto\"  data-pk-src=\"https:\/\/lh5.googleusercontent.com\/TR3fZpCdje_93QNASbNkYoN2p-ycK1rT5u-uY0LC8sX-lSzz-e5IaBWqIq-VbxDba4MpIGRoNiXGJCZv6pnnwdi8GrTsKj7tWBXoCGI6wc1dk6GWvHhsIaAZvr0S0lp_6J4zkS-x\" ><figcaption> The image above was the Ariane 5\u2019s last taken image of the James Webb Space Telescope, which marks humanity\u2019s last ever chance of seeing the telescope directly. The telescope\u2019s final destination of L<sub>2<\/sub> will be too far away for any manned missions, for repairs or otherwise, to be reasonably feasible. This means the telescope was designed to never be repaired and serviced, unlike its cousin the Hubble Space Telescope. (Arianespace\/ESA\/NASA\/CSA\/CNES, 2021) <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>NASA Administrator Bill Nelson spoke to the world after the JWST\u2019s successful primary mirror deployment. \u201cToday, NASA achieved another engineering milestone decades in the making. While the journey is not complete, I join the Webb team in breathing a little easier and imagining the future breakthroughs bound to inspire the world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Nelson continued: \u201cThe James Webb Space Telescope is an unprecedented mission that is on the precipice of seeing the light from the first galaxies and discovering the mysteries of our universe. Each feat already achieved and future accomplishment is a testament to the thousands of innovators who poured their life\u2019s passion into this mission.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img  decoding=\"async\"  src=\"data:image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABAQMAAAAl21bKAAAAA1BMVEUAAP+KeNJXAAAAAXRSTlMAQObYZgAAAAlwSFlzAAAOxAAADsQBlSsOGwAAAApJREFUCNdjYAAAAAIAAeIhvDMAAAAASUVORK5CYII=\"  alt=\"\"  class=\" pk-lazyload\"  data-pk-sizes=\"auto\"  data-pk-src=\"https:\/\/lh3.googleusercontent.com\/p_mobS6aC7pZR21gz_cDpRjYlGlWb4yR79vPRu1yiThLoy8Kxi9MnODZ4qMCqNK5c3VzAPw1MdjPA7UlcySbshLbJdwTIBeeIvZtMnIqHOmcDM01LNF3ZeQwWW5eSB6dT8IQEmuq\" ><figcaption> Photographer Bill Ingalls managed to take a dramatic photo of the Ariane 5 launch, which carried the James Webb Space Telescope out to begin its journey towards the Lagrange point L<sub>2<\/sub>. (NASA\/Ingalls, 2021) <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Thomas Zurbuchen, the associate administrator for the Science Mission Directorate in NASA Headquarters in Washington, continued to address the momentous achievement in a statement from NASA\u2019s press release: \u201cWebb\u2019s successful deployment exemplifies the best of what NASA has to offer: the willingness to attempt bold and challenging things in the name of discoveries still unknown.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe successful completion of all of the Webb Space Telescope\u2019s deployments is historic,\u201d said Gregory Robinson, program director of the JWST program at NASA Headquarters. \u201cThis is the first time a NASA-led mission has ever attempted to complete a complex sequence to unfold an observatory in space\u2014a remarkable feat for our team, NASA, and the world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img  decoding=\"async\"  src=\"data:image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABAQMAAAAl21bKAAAAA1BMVEUAAP+KeNJXAAAAAXRSTlMAQObYZgAAAAlwSFlzAAAOxAAADsQBlSsOGwAAAApJREFUCNdjYAAAAAIAAeIhvDMAAAAASUVORK5CYII=\"  alt=\"\"  class=\" pk-lazyload\"  data-pk-sizes=\"auto\"  data-pk-src=\"https:\/\/lh5.googleusercontent.com\/V5vt8ob8CPwqAivjXAHkFbWpp6r_3OQwEGVndhDp1YWr2LRJcQXZTr3QFMFcpqmEbLi6FDVYYaHu0AbUIMKqst2ECpVnp2idUHddEQGITkOLKEfQh-EMNGM0gKmjXCezXlY58y8i\" ><figcaption> Photographer Chris Gunn captured an image of the James Webb Space Telescope, back from when it was still grounded on Earth, with its primary mirror folded in. The JWST team needed to design a folding primary mirror for the entirety of the telescope to fit inside the Ariane 5 rocket that will take it to space. (NASA\/Gunn, 2021) <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>The JWST, now less than 300,000 km (186,000 mi) from L<sub>2<\/sub>, must now undergo the process of aligning its mirror segments to calibrate its optical systems. This arduous process will take months to complete, with a team of scientists on Earth manually adjusting actuators located on the backside of each mirror segment to align each with all the others. This will be followed by a series of calibrations for the instruments aboard the telescope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The JWST is expected to take some 29 days after launch before it reaches L<sub>2<\/sub>, which places its arrival date around the 23rd of January. Once it reaches its destination, and after it finishes its calibrations, the telescope is expected to reveal its very first images by around June or July 2022, which will then initiate a so-called \u201cnew golden age\u201d of astronomy as it gives us a never-before-seen glimpse of the universe in its infancy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(To view more images of the James Webb Space Telescope prior to launch, feel free to visit <a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/nasawebbtelescope\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">the JWST\u2019s official Flickr page<\/a>.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"references\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>References<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Margetta, R. (2022, January 8). <em>Nasa\u2019s webb telescope reaches major milestone as mirror unfolds<\/em> [Text]. NASA. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/press-release\/nasa-s-webb-telescope-reaches-major-milestone-as-mirror-unfolds\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">http:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/press-release\/nasa-s-webb-telescope-reaches-major-milestone-as-mirror-unfolds<\/a><\/li><li>Potter, S. (2021, December 23). <em>Nasa\u2019s webb telescope launches to see first galaxies, distant worlds<\/em> [Text]. NASA. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/press-release\/nasas-webb-telescope-launches-to-see-first-galaxies-distant-worlds\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">http:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/press-release\/nasas-webb-telescope-launches-to-see-first-galaxies-distant-worlds<\/a><\/li><li>Szondy, D. (2022, January 9). <em>James Webb Space Telescope completes deployment as mirror opens<\/em>. New Atlas. <a href=\"https:\/\/newatlas.com\/space\/james-webb-space-telescope-completes-deployment-mirror-open\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/newatlas.com\/space\/james-webb-space-telescope-completes-deployment-mirror-open\/<\/a><\/li><li>Woodward, A. (2022, January 8). Webb space telescope wraps up risky deployment but faces more hurdles. <em>Wall Street Journal<\/em>. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/articles\/webb-space-telescope-wraps-up-risky-deployment-but-faces-more-hurdles-11641666407\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/articles\/webb-space-telescope-wraps-up-risky-deployment-but-faces-more-hurdles-11641666407<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"December 25, 2021, 7:20 a.m., UTC -5. Aboard the European Space Agency\u2019s (ESA) heavy-lift space launch vehicle Ariane&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3538,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[15,14],"tags":[237],"class_list":{"0":"post-3537","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-engineering","8":"category-space","9":"tag-james-webb-space-telescope","10":"cs-entry","11":"cs-video-wrap"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3537","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3537"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3537\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3539,"href":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3537\/revisions\/3539"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3538"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3537"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3537"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3537"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}