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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA’s massive, new space telescope has been fine for more than a week after takeoff, after a pair of problems were overcome by ground controllers, officials said Monday.
The tennis court-sized sunshade on the James Webb Space Telescope is now fully open and in the process of being tightened. The operation should be completed by Wednesday.
The $10 billion telescope, the largest and most powerful astronomical observatory ever launched, launched from French Guiana on Christmas Day. Its sun visor and main mirror had to be folded to fit the European Ariane rocket.
It is vital to protect the sunshade. webbInfrared sensing tools at sub-zero temperatures as they scan the universe for the first stars and galaxies and examine the atmospheres of alien worlds for possible signs of life.
Extending the blind last Friday “was a really big success for us,” said project manager Bill Ochs. All 107 release pins are properly opened.
But there were a few hurdles.
Flight controllers in Maryland had to reset webbSolar panel to draw more power. Amy Lo, chief engineer at Northrop Grumman, the telescope’s prime contractor, said the observatory, which is considered the successor to the aging Hubble Space Telescope, was never in danger with a steady stream of power.
They also reoriented the telescope to limit sunlight on six overheated engines. Authorities said the engines were cooled enough to start protecting the sunshade, a three-day process that could be stopped if the problem reappears.
“Everything is very nice and going well right now,” Lo said.
Ochs expects tightening the blinds to be drama-free.
“The best thing for operations is boring, and what we’re predicting for the next three days is boring,” he said.
If that’s true, the telescope’s gold-plated mirror – more than 21 feet (6.5 meters) wide – could open as soon as this weekend.
webb It should reach its destination 1 million miles (1.6 million kilometers) away by the end of January. As of Monday, the telescope was more than halfway there. The infrared telescope will begin observing the cosmos at the end of June, eventually revealing the first stars and galaxies that formed in the universe 13.7 billion years ago. This is just 100 million years after the Big Bang, which created the universe.
Launched in 1990, Hubble looked back 13.4 billion years, mainly seeing visible light. Astronomers hope to bridge the gap webb, which is 100 times stronger.
In another good news on Monday, officials said they were waiting webb depending on fuel efficiency, it will last much longer than the originally envisioned 10 years.
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