Jun 09, 2022 17:00:00

A micrometeorite collides with the 'James Webb Space Telescope,' which has just been put into operation with over 1 trillion yen.

by

Kevin Gill

The James Webb Space Telescope, launched by NASA in December 2021, is a state-of-the-art space telescope with a total of $ 10 billion (about 1.3 trillion yen). The adjustment of the four observation instruments was just completed on May 9, 2014. It was discovered that a micrometeorite larger than expected had collided with the James Webb Space Telescope in late May 2022.

Webb: Engineered to Endure Micrometeoroid Impacts – James Webb Space Telescope
https://blogs.nasa.gov/webb/2022/06/08/webb-engineered-to-endure-micrometeoroid-impacts/

NASA's new powerful space telescope gets hit by larger than expected micrometeoroid --The Verge
https://www.theverge.com/2022/6/8/23160209/nasa-james-webb-space-telescope-meteor-strike-impact

Tiny meteoroid bops $ 10 billion Webb space telescope | Reuters
https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/tiny-meteoroid-bops-10-billion-webb-space-telescope-2022-06-08/

The James Webb Space Telescope, which was developed as a successor to the Hubble Space Telescope launched in 1990, is installed at the Lagrange point where gravity can be balanced between the Sun and the Earth. It was launched on December 25, 2021, and theprimary mirror was fully deployed in January 2022. In March, when the alignment of the primary mirror was completed, a clear photograph was released, and NASA reported that the observation ability of the James Webb Space Telescope exceeded expectations.

A vivid photograph taken by the James Webb Space Telescope will be released, accurate enough to reflect the galaxy far away --GIGAZINE

Read the article below to see how the James Webb Space Telescope is superior to the Spitzer Space Telescope , which went out of service in January 2020.

The state-of-the-art James Webb Space Telescope has been adjusted, and the comparison with the previous generation is a masterpiece --GIGAZINE

The Lagrange point, where the James Webb Space Telescope is deployed, is about 1.5 million kilometers away from Earth, and it was expected that micrometeorites floating in outer space would frequently collide. Micrometeoroids usually weigh less than 1g, but can cause significant damage if a micrometeorite that travels in space at high speed collides with the space telescope. Therefore, NASA has designed the James Webb Space Telescope to withstand the collision of micrometeorites, and it is also possible to protect the optical system when a known meteor shower arrives.

In a blog post on June 8th, NASA reported that a micrometeorite collided with the James Webb Space Telescope between May 23rd and 25th, with a detectable effect on the data. It seems that the James Webb Space Telescope had a total of four micrometeoroid collisions since its launch, but all of these sizes were within the expected range. However, NASA estimates that the micrometeorites reported this time were larger than previously expected and exceeded what could be tested on the ground.

The micrometeoroid collision had a detectable impact on the James Webb Space Telescope data, but engineers remotely adjusted the position of the affected segment from the ground to minimize the impact of the collision. I was able to keep it to a limit. NASA says the James Webb Space Telescope still maintains performance that exceeds all mission requirements and will continue to monitor and maintain the telescope.

by NASA's James Webb Space Telescope

NASA considers the impact of micrometeorites on the James Webb Space Telescope to be an unavoidable event in deep space environments far from Earth. Paul Geithner, Deputy Technical Project Manager at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center , said, 'We have the James Webb Space Telescope with UV rays and charged particles from the Sun, cosmic rays from the galaxy, and micrometaphors in the solar system. I always knew that I had to survive the space environment, such as a collision, 'he said, arguing that the space telescope was built with plenty of performance to carry out missions over several years.

In addition, since the James Webb Space Telescope is extremely sensitive, it is also useful as a 'micrometeoroid detector' in the deep space environment, and it is expected to bring knowledge of the space particle environment at the Lagrange point. That thing.

NASA plans to premiere a full-color image taken by the James Webb Space Telescope on July 12.