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Post by rc on Dec 20, 2021 22:55:29 GMT -6
Get ready... the most ambitious space shot we have ever taken launches on Christmas at 6:20 am CST from French Guiana. It will travel out beyone the moon to Lagrangian point 2, a stable orbit shielding it from earth's and Sun's light and signals. This will be the most complex space probe every undertaken. The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is a robot that goes up to a point and builds itsself over time. It is so far that we will not be able to go back up and work on it if something goes wrong. It will replace the Hubble Space Telescope as the most complex and powerful space telescope ever. The optics were worked on by an ACU Physics alum who also did the adaptic optics for the twin Keck telescopes in Hawaii and who helped redesign the optics of the Giant Megellan Telescope being built in Chili. The GMT will resolve about ten times better than the Hubble and the JWST should be better than that, looking back to the beginnings of the universe. Look up the JWST telescope on your computer and be amazed.
So much could go wrong and it is extremely complex. My ex-student is worried sick but very hopeful for a real home run. Years in the making, the JWST cost about $10 billion to build. ACU students have been involved in so much cutting edge science both in space with things like gravity waves from colliding black holes to accelerator physics at Fermi Lab and Brookhaven, to quantum computing and entanglement and things like the NEXt Lab and the Dune neutrino experiment that I know of no undergraduate university that can compare to what ACU has produced and done. We were supported with a grant from the Atomic Energy Commission before the Deptment of Energy even existed and now we have 40 years of DOE research funding. ACU is truly unique.
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Post by Outsider on Dec 21, 2021 8:26:30 GMT -6
Get ready... the most ambitious space shot we have ever taken launches on Christmas Eve at 6:20 am CST from French Guiana. It will travel out beyone the moon to Lagrangian point 2, a stable orbit shielding it from earth's light and signals. This will be the most complex space probe every undertaken. The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is a robot that goes up to a point and builds itsself over time. It is so far that we will not be able to go back up and work on it if something goes wrong. It will replace the Hubble Space Telescope as the most complex and powerful space telescope ever. The optics were worked on by an ACU Physics alum who also did the adaptic optics for the twin Keck telescopes in Hawaii and who helped redesign the optics of the Giant Megellan Telescope being built in Chili. The GMT will resolve about ten times better than the Hubble and the JWST should be better than that, looking back to the beginnings of the universe. Look up the JWST telescope on your computer and be amazed. So much could go wrong and it is extremely complex. My ex-student is worried sick but very hopeful for a real home run. Years in the making, the JWST cost about $10 billion to build. ACU students have been involved in so much cutting edge science both in space with things like gravity waves from colliding black holes to accelerator physics at Fermi Lab and Brookhaven, to quantum computing and entanglement and things like the NEXt Lab and the Dune neutrino experiment that I know of no undergraduate university that can compare to what ACU has produced and done. We were supported with a grant from the Atomic Energy Commission before the Deptment of Energy even existed and now we have 40 years of DOE research funding. ACU is truly unique. I took another trip to the McDonald Observatory a little over a month ago. It is interesting to see the changing technology. Even there you see the older telescope and the newer one. They mention the newer bigger ones in Central and South America. |
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Post by rc on Dec 21, 2021 19:07:12 GMT -6
One of the best JWST engineering videos of just how complex it is can be watched at
Just copy and paste it into your browser. You can learn exactly why five layers of heat shields are needed and unbelieveable new technology is in play. A great video.
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Post by rc on Dec 23, 2021 16:10:48 GMT -6
Due to weather, the launch is now scheduled for 6:20 am local time on Cbristmas Day. However, further delays could get much longer since the orbit of the moon could become an issue and the stability of fuels loaded and waiting on the launch pad might need refurnishing.
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Post by rc on Dec 25, 2021 18:49:16 GMT -6
Launch was beautiful but through cloudy weather. First opening went well and the shields opened just fine. The batteries are online and charging. Our ACU ex-student sent me a thank you note when I sent him congrats. His job will be to deploy the telescope and synchronize it -- this could take 4 to 5 months if all goes well. Then he will turn it over to NASA. What an amazing machine that can build itself out far beyond the moon, just like a transformer.
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Post by rc on Dec 26, 2021 20:30:38 GMT -6
Critical 65 minute boost was successfully done by the James Webb Space Telescope. The launch had to be very careful to do a slight under boost or the telescope might go out beyone the safe space called L2. So the launch got the JWST on its way but did not risk over shooting its target. This 65 minute boost has put the telescope back on course to arrive at L2. There could be more such adjustments on its way to the perfect balance to stay at L2. L2 is four times further away than the earth-moon average distance. Quite a balancing act.
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Post by rc on Dec 27, 2021 17:42:07 GMT -6
Imagine, boosting up to the perfect distance but being completely unable to turn backwards to slow down. It will reach L2 at the end of January, when the instruments can all power on. Until then the instruments cannot be turned toward the sun or they would be fried. The telescope will always have to face away and stay in the shadow of the earth. Quite a feat and many more are to come.
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Post by rc on Jan 3, 2022 21:16:49 GMT -6
the first heat shield is being unfurled, a 2-3 day project. If successful, the key steps of the over 300 critical actions will be about 70 percent accomplished. It is on its way.
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Post by rc on Jan 3, 2022 21:18:28 GMT -6
the first heat shield is being unfurled, a 2-3 day project. If successful, the key steps of the over 300 critical actions will be about 70 percent accomplished. It is on its way.
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Post by PurpleHaze on Jan 5, 2022 11:51:21 GMT -6
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Post by rc on Jan 5, 2022 13:38:48 GMT -6
More great news... the fuel required to get where JWST is was less than thought, which means the ten year lifetime will be extended and the telescope can operate longer!!!
And, the secondary mirror has been successfully deployed. Just amazing.
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Post by texas48 on Jan 5, 2022 14:15:28 GMT -6
This is really cool stuff!
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Post by PurpleHaze on Jan 8, 2022 16:59:01 GMT -6
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Post by rc on Feb 23, 2022 15:14:12 GMT -6
Our ACU ex-student who is fine tuning the mirrors reported that he has now seen the first image from a field of galaxies from one of the mirrors. All 18 are not yet synchronized, but everything seems to be working well.
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Post by rc on May 2, 2022 20:08:03 GMT -6
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