{"id":340021,"date":"2021-09-16T12:25:55","date_gmt":"2021-09-16T09:25:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/heres-how-astronomers-plan-to-send-a-giant-ass-telescope-to-space\/"},"modified":"2021-09-16T12:25:55","modified_gmt":"2021-09-16T09:25:55","slug":"heres-how-astronomers-plan-to-send-a-giant-ass-telescope-to-space","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/heres-how-astronomers-plan-to-send-a-giant-ass-telescope-to-space\/","title":{"rendered":"#Here\u2019s how astronomers plan to send a giant-ass telescope to space"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a24d52f598a5\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a24d52f598a5\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/heres-how-astronomers-plan-to-send-a-giant-ass-telescope-to-space\/#Young_galaxies_and_alien_atmospheres\" >Young galaxies and alien atmospheres<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/heres-how-astronomers-plan-to-send-a-giant-ass-telescope-to-space\/#Test_and_rehearse\" >Test and rehearse<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/heres-how-astronomers-plan-to-send-a-giant-ass-telescope-to-space\/#Some_alignment_required\" >Some alignment required<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;<strong>#Here\u2019s how astronomers plan to send a giant-ass telescope to space<\/strong>&#8221;<\/p>\n<div>The James Webb Space Telescope is scheduled to head to space on Dec. 18, 2021. With it, astronomers hope to find the first galaxies to form in the universe, will search for Earth-like atmospheres around other planets and accomplish many other scientific goals.<\/p>\n<p>I am <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/profiles.arizona.edu\/person\/mrieke\">an astronomer<\/a> and the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/jwst.nasa.gov\/content\/meetTheTeam\/people\/riekeMarcia.html\">principal investigator for the Near Infrared Camera<\/a> \u2013 or <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.jwst.nasa.gov\/content\/observatory\/instruments\/nircam.html\">NIRCam<\/a> for short \u2013 aboard the Webb telescope. I have participated in the development and testing for both my camera and the telescope as a whole.<\/p>\n<p>To see deep into the universe, the telescope has a very large mirror and must be kept extremely cold. But getting a fragile piece of equipment like this to space is no simple task. There have been many challenges my colleagues and I have had to overcome to design, test and soon launch and align the most powerful space telescope ever built.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"align-center zoomable\">\n<figure class=\"post-image post-mediaBleed aligncenter\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/420980\/original\/file-20210914-15-gztf6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"A gold section of the mirror with the sensors extended out in front of the mirror.\" width=\"600\" height=\"446\" class=\"js-lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/420980\/original\/file-20210914-15-gztf6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip\"\/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/420980\/original\/file-20210914-15-gztf6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip\" alt=\"A gold section of the mirror with the sensors extended out in front of the mirror.\" width=\"600\" height=\"446\" class=\"\" srcset=\"\"\/><\/noscript><\/a><figcaption><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"#\" data-url=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Feditorial.thenextweb.com%2Fspace%2F2021%2F09%2F16%2Fastronomers-send-giant-telescope-space-syndication%2F&amp;via=thenextweb&amp;related=thenextweb&amp;text=Check out this picture on: In order to detect the most distant and oldest galaxies, the telescope needs to be huge and kept extremely cold.NASA\/Chris Gunn\" data-title=\"Share In order to detect the most distant and oldest galaxies, the telescope needs to be huge and kept extremely cold.NASA\/Chris Gunn on Twitter\" data-width=\"685\" data-height=\"500\" class=\"post-image-share popitup\" title=\"Share In order to detect the most distant and oldest galaxies, the telescope needs to be huge and kept extremely cold.NASA\/Chris Gunn on Twitter\"><i class=\"icon icon--inline icon--twitter--dark\"\/><\/a>In order to detect the most distant and oldest galaxies, the telescope needs to be huge and kept extremely cold.NASA<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/nasawebbtelescope\/48474089192\/in\/album-72157711864057113\/\">\/Chris Gunn<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><figcaption\/><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Young_galaxies_and_alien_atmospheres\"><\/span>Young galaxies and alien atmospheres<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The Webb telescope has a mirror over 20 feet across, a tennis-court sized sun shade to block solar radiation and <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.jwst.nasa.gov\/content\/about\/faqs\/facts.html\">four separate camera and sensor systems to collect the data<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>It works kind of like a satellite dish. Light from a star or galaxy will enter the mouth of the telescope and bounce off the primary mirror toward the four sensors: <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.jwst.nasa.gov\/content\/observatory\/instruments\/nircam.html\">NIRCam<\/a>, which takes images in the near infrared; the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/jwst.nasa.gov\/content\/observatory\/instruments\/nirspec.html\">Near Infrared Spectrograph<\/a>, which can split the light from a selection of sources into their constituent colors and measures the strength of each; the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/jwst.nasa.gov\/content\/observatory\/instruments\/miri.html\">Mid-Infrared Instrument<\/a>, which takes images and measures wavelengths in the middle infrared; and the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/jwst.nasa.gov\/content\/observatory\/instruments\/fgs.html\">Near Infrared Imaging Slitless Spectrograph<\/a>, which splits and measures the light of anything scientists point the satellite at.<\/p>\n<p>This design will allow scientists to study how stars form in the Milky Way and the atmospheres of planets outside the Solar System. It may even be possible to figure out the composition of these atmospheres.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"align-center zoomable\">\n<p><figure class=\"post-image post-mediaBleed aligncenter\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/420991\/original\/file-20210914-19-1sfzdgw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"A complicated, gold-plated, hexagonal instrument standing on four silvery legs.\" width=\"600\" height=\"396\" class=\"js-lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/420991\/original\/file-20210914-19-1sfzdgw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip\"\/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/420991\/original\/file-20210914-19-1sfzdgw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip\" alt=\"A complicated, gold-plated, hexagonal instrument standing on four silvery legs.\" width=\"600\" height=\"396\" class=\"\" srcset=\"\"\/><\/noscript><\/a><figcaption><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"#\" data-url=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Feditorial.thenextweb.com%2Fspace%2F2021%2F09%2F16%2Fastronomers-send-giant-telescope-space-syndication%2F&amp;via=thenextweb&amp;related=thenextweb&amp;text=Check out this picture on: The NIRCam, seen here, will measure infrared light from extremely distant and old galaxies. NASA\/Chris Gunn\" data-title=\"Share The NIRCam, seen here, will measure infrared light from extremely distant and old galaxies. NASA\/Chris Gunn on Twitter\" data-width=\"685\" data-height=\"500\" class=\"post-image-share popitup\" title=\"Share The NIRCam, seen here, will measure infrared light from extremely distant and old galaxies. NASA\/Chris Gunn on Twitter\"><i class=\"icon icon--inline icon--twitter--dark\"\/><\/a>The NIRCam, seen here, will measure infrared light from extremely distant and old galaxies. <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/nasawebbtelescope\/9415131365\/in\/photolist-fmf3UY-fkZ1x8-EhkNDe-ejcWcJ-efMxLE-8kkzhW-o56Mza-mCPCtX-ejcW93-fmd8GA-ej7cDM-mwwpu9-mhqW1z-fjmkiu-mhqcca-mwvC6z-fj3xBn-oE2Vqt-fjhJoq-8BFiRP-JMjqRn-z4QocM-DS62eM-bQR3J8-QrgMDK-msJYwx-fj3xva-8BFiQe-mD44oa-oE2Vrv-mGKH6V-fjYuZE-qaR5ki-qs7Aht-2kJdtfv-pviffL-2kJ9HFz-2kJdX8k-2kJ9HJR-Nw7FDp-ER9JHT-qNSDpw\">NASA\/Chris Gunn<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><figcaption\/><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Ever since Edwin Hubble proved that distant galaxies are just like the Milky Way, astronomers have asked: How old are the oldest galaxies? How did they first form? And how have they changed over time? The Webb telescope was originally dubbed the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.stsci.edu\/files\/live\/sites\/www\/files\/home\/news\/newsletters\/_documents\/2002-volume019-issue04.pdf\">\u201cFirst Light Machine\u201d<\/a> because it is designed to answer these very questions.<\/p>\n<p>One of the main goals of the telescope is to study distant galaxies close to the edge of observable universe. It takes billions of years for the light from these galaxies to cross the universe and reach Earth. I estimate that images my colleagues and I will collect with NIRCam could show protogalaxies that formed a mere 300 million years after the Big Bang \u2013 when they were just 2% of their current age.<\/p>\n<p>Finding the first aggregations of stars that formed after the Big Bang is a daunting task for a simple reason: These protogalaxies are very far away and so <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ear to be very faint.<\/p>\n<p>Webb\u2019s mirror is made of 18 separate segments and can collect more than <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.jwst.nasa.gov\/content\/about\/comparisonWebbVsHubble.html\">six times as much light as the Hubble Space Telescope mirror<\/a>. Distant objects also appear to be very small, so the telescope must be able to focus the light as tightly as possible.<\/p>\n<p>The telescope also has to cope with another complication: Since <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1073\/pnas.1424299112\">the universe is expanding<\/a>, the galaxies that scientists will study with the Webb telescope are moving away from Earth, and the Doppler effect comes into play. Just like the pitch of an ambulance\u2019s siren shifts down and becomes deeper when it passes and starts moving away from you, the wavelength of light from distant galaxies shifts down from visible light to infrared light.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"align-center zoomable\">\n<p><figure class=\"post-image post-mediaBleed aligncenter\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/420983\/original\/file-20210914-17-1js8d4r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"A golden mirror with multiple layers of silvery material spread out beneath it.\" width=\"600\" height=\"458\" class=\"js-lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/420983\/original\/file-20210914-17-1js8d4r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip\"\/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/420983\/original\/file-20210914-17-1js8d4r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip\" alt=\"A golden mirror with multiple layers of silvery material spread out beneath it.\" width=\"600\" height=\"458\" class=\"\" srcset=\"\"\/><\/noscript><\/a><figcaption><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"#\" data-url=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Feditorial.thenextweb.com%2Fspace%2F2021%2F09%2F16%2Fastronomers-send-giant-telescope-space-syndication%2F&amp;via=thenextweb&amp;related=thenextweb&amp;text=Check out this picture on: The five layers of silvery material underneath the gold mirror are a sunshield that will reflect light and heat to keep the sensors incredibly cold. NASA\/Chris Gunn\" data-title=\"Share The five layers of silvery material underneath the gold mirror are a sunshield that will reflect light and heat to keep the sensors incredibly cold. NASA\/Chris Gunn on Twitter\" data-width=\"685\" data-height=\"500\" class=\"post-image-share popitup\" title=\"Share The five layers of silvery material underneath the gold mirror are a sunshield that will reflect light and heat to keep the sensors incredibly cold. NASA\/Chris Gunn on Twitter\"><i class=\"icon icon--inline icon--twitter--dark\"\/><\/a>The five layers of silvery material underneath the gold mirror are a sunshield that will reflect light and heat to keep the sensors incredibly cold. <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/nasawebbtelescope\/25003831358\/in\/album-72157711864057113\/\">NASA\/Chris Gunn<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><figcaption\/><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Webb detects infrared light \u2013 it is essentially a giant heat telescope. To \u201csee\u201d faint galaxies in infrared light, the telescope needs to be exceptionally cold or else all it would see would be its own infrared radiation. This is where the heat shield comes in. The shield is made of a thin plastic coated with aluminum. It is five layers thick and measures 46.5 feet (17.2 meters) by 69.5 feet (21.2 meters) and will <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.jwst.nasa.gov\/content\/observatory\/sunshield.html\">keep the mirror and sensors at minus 390 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 234 Celsius)<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The Webb telescope is an incredible feat of engineering, but how does one get such a thing safely to space and guarantee that it will work?<\/p>\n<figure class=\"align-center zoomable\">\n<p><figure class=\"post-image post-mediaBleed aligncenter\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/420988\/original\/file-20210914-17-1gpyesh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"The assembled telescope being wheeled out of a large chamber.\" width=\"600\" height=\"399\" class=\"js-lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/420988\/original\/file-20210914-17-1gpyesh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip\"\/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/420988\/original\/file-20210914-17-1gpyesh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip\" alt=\"The assembled telescope being wheeled out of a large chamber.\" width=\"600\" height=\"399\" class=\"\" srcset=\"\"\/><\/noscript><\/a><figcaption><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"#\" data-url=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Feditorial.thenextweb.com%2Fspace%2F2021%2F09%2F16%2Fastronomers-send-giant-telescope-space-syndication%2F&amp;via=thenextweb&amp;related=thenextweb&amp;text=Check out this picture on: Engineers and scientists tested the entire telescope in an an extremely cold, low-pressure cryogenic vacuum chamber. NASA\/Chris Gunn\" data-title=\"Share Engineers and scientists tested the entire telescope in an an extremely cold, low-pressure cryogenic vacuum chamber. NASA\/Chris Gunn on Twitter\" data-width=\"685\" data-height=\"500\" class=\"post-image-share popitup\" title=\"Share Engineers and scientists tested the entire telescope in an an extremely cold, low-pressure cryogenic vacuum chamber. NASA\/Chris Gunn on Twitter\"><i class=\"icon icon--inline icon--twitter--dark\"\/><\/a>Engineers and scientists tested the entire telescope in an an extremely cold, low-pressure cryogenic vacuum chamber. <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/nasawebbtelescope\/25003831358\/in\/album-72157711864057113\/\">NASA\/Chris Gunn<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><figcaption\/><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Test_and_rehearse\"><\/span>Test and rehearse<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The James Webb Space Telescope will orbit a <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/jwst-docs.stsci.edu\/jwst-observatory-hardware\/jwst-orbit\">million miles from Earth<\/a> \u2013 about 4,500 times more distant than the International Space Station and much too far to be serviced by astronauts.<\/p>\n<p>Over the past 12 years, the team has tested the telescope and instruments, shaken them to simulate the rocket launch and tested them again. Everything has been cooled and tested under the extreme operating conditions of orbit. I will never forget when my team was in Houston testing the NIRCam using a chamber designed for the Apollo lunar rover. It was the first time that my camera detected light that had bounced off the telescope\u2019s mirror, and we couldn\u2019t have been happier \u2013 even though Hurricane Harvey was fighting us outside.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"align-center \">\n<p><figure class=\"post-image post-mediaBleed aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"People sitting at desks using computers.\" width=\"600\" height=\"398\" class=\"js-lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/420986\/original\/file-20210914-25-5rdqpq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip\"\/><figcaption><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"#\" data-url=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Feditorial.thenextweb.com%2Fspace%2F2021%2F09%2F16%2Fastronomers-send-giant-telescope-space-syndication%2F&amp;via=thenextweb&amp;related=thenextweb&amp;text=Check out this picture on: Rehearsals and training at the Space Telescope Science Institute are critical to make sure that the assembly process goes smoothly and any unexpected anomalies can be dealt with. NASA\/STScI\" data-title=\"Share Rehearsals and training at the Space Telescope Science Institute are critical to make sure that the assembly process goes smoothly and any unexpected anomalies can be dealt with. NASA\/STScI on Twitter\" data-width=\"685\" data-height=\"500\" class=\"post-image-share popitup\" title=\"Share Rehearsals and training at the Space Telescope Science Institute are critical to make sure that the assembly process goes smoothly and any unexpected anomalies can be dealt with. NASA\/STScI on Twitter\"><i class=\"icon icon--inline icon--twitter--dark\"\/><\/a>Rehearsals and training at the Space Telescope <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/sciencee\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"5\" title=\"Science\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Science<\/a> Institute are critical to make sure that the assembly process goes smoothly and any unexpected anomalies can be dealt with.<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/nasawebbtelescope\/45061379081\/in\/album-72157701979601735\/\"> NASA\/STScI<\/a><\/figcaption><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/420986\/original\/file-20210914-25-5rdqpq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip\" alt=\"People sitting at desks using computers.\" width=\"600\" height=\"398\" class=\"\" srcset=\"\"\/><\/noscript><\/figure><figcaption\/><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>After testing came the rehearsals. The telescope will be controlled remotely by commands sent over a radio link. But because the telescope will be so far away \u2013 it takes six seconds for a signal to go one way \u2013 there is no real-time control. So for the past three years, my team and I have been going to the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.stsci.edu\/\">Space Telescope Science Institute<\/a> in Baltimore and running rehearsal missions on a simulator covering everything from launch to routine science operations. The team even has practiced dealing with potential problems that the test organizers throw at us and cutely call \u201canomalies.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"align-right zoomable\"><figcaption\/><\/figure>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Some_alignment_required\"><\/span>Some alignment required<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The Webb team will continue to rehearse and practice until the launch date in December, but our work is far from done after Webb is folded and loaded into the rocket.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"post-image post-mediaBleed aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-1367201 js-lazy\" alt=\"To fit inside a rocket, the telescope needs to fold into a compact package.\" width=\"453\" height=\"566\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 453px) 100vw, 453px\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2021\/09\/file-20210914-13-1jli4qz.jpeg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2021\/09\/file-20210914-13-1jli4qz.jpeg 600w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2021\/09\/file-20210914-13-1jli4qz-168x210.jpeg 168w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2021\/09\/file-20210914-13-1jli4qz-108x135.jpeg 108w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2021\/09\/file-20210914-13-1jli4qz-216x270.jpeg 216w\"\/><figcaption>Credit: <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/nasawebbtelescope\/51404134793\/in\/album-72157629134274763\/\">NASA<\/a><\/figcaption><figcaption><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"#\" data-url=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Feditorial.thenextweb.com%2Fspace%2F2021%2F09%2F16%2Fastronomers-send-giant-telescope-space-syndication%2F&amp;via=thenextweb&amp;related=thenextweb&amp;text=Check out this picture on: To fit inside a rocket, the telescope needs to fold into a compact package.\" data-title=\"Share To fit inside a rocket, the telescope needs to fold into a compact package. on Twitter\" data-width=\"685\" data-height=\"500\" class=\"post-image-share popitup\" title=\"Share To fit inside a rocket, the telescope needs to fold into a compact package. on Twitter\"><i class=\"icon icon--inline icon--twitter--dark\"\/><\/a>To fit inside a rocket, the telescope needs to fold into a compact package.<\/figcaption><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-1367201\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2021\/09\/file-20210914-13-1jli4qz.jpeg\" alt=\"To fit inside a rocket, the telescope needs to fold into a compact package.\" width=\"453\" height=\"566\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2021\/09\/file-20210914-13-1jli4qz.jpeg 600w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2021\/09\/file-20210914-13-1jli4qz-168x210.jpeg 168w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2021\/09\/file-20210914-13-1jli4qz-108x135.jpeg 108w, https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2021\/09\/file-20210914-13-1jli4qz-216x270.jpeg 216w\"\/><\/noscript><\/figure>\n<p>We need to wait 35 days after launch for the parts to cool before beginning alignment. After the mirror unfolds, NIRCam will snap sequences of high-resolution images of the individual mirror segments. The telescope team will analyze the images and tell motors to adjust the segments in steps measured in billionths of a meter. Once the motors move the mirrors into position, we will confirm that telescope alignment is perfect. This task is so mission critical that there are two identical copies of NIRCam on board \u2013 if one fails, the other can take over the alignment job.<\/p>\n<p>This alignment and checkout process should take six months. When finished, Webb will begin collecting data. After 20 years of work, astronomers will at last have a telescope able to peer into the farthest, most distant reaches of the universe.<!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https:\/\/theconversation.com\/republishing-guidelines --><\/p>\n<p><em>Article by <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/profiles\/marcia-rieke-1266286\">Marcia Rieke<\/a>, Regents Professor of Astronomy, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/institutions\/university-of-arizona-959\">University of Arizona<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>This article is republished from <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\">The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/james-webb-space-telescope-an-astronomer-on-the-team-explains-how-to-send-a-giant-telescope-to-space-and-why-167516\">original article<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Technology category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/news\/astronomers-send-giant-telescope-space-syndication\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;#Here\u2019s how astronomers plan to send a giant-ass telescope to space&#8221; The James Webb Space Telescope is scheduled to head to space on Dec. 18, 2021. With it, astronomers hope to find the first galaxies to form in the universe, will search for Earth-like atmospheres around other planets and accomplish many other scientific goals. I&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":340022,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/img-cdn.tnwcdn.com\/image\/tnw?filter_last=1&fit=1280,640&url=https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2021\/09\/Telescope.jpg&signature=7eb635284b6c86079abf6ecbd4beaf17","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-340021","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/340021","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=340021"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/340021\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/340022"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=340021"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=340021"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=340021"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}