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NASA Webb Telescope

@NASAWebb

6 Jan

We've been hearing you loud and clear: Why doesn't Webb have cameras for its journey to #UnfoldTheUniverse? It sounds like a no-brainer, but there's more to it than meets the lens. Thread ⬇️

1. Light 💡

Our gold-coated mirrors were photogenic on Earth, but the mirror side of Webb is pitch dark in space. Meanwhile, the other, Sun-facing side of Webb is so shiny that cameras there would have glare & contrast issues.

2. Power 🔌

We would have to run cables and power out to cameras on Webb, and the power balance on the cold side of Webb is especially delicate. More cables adds more of a threat of heat and vibration transfer through the wires, which could impact image quality.

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NASA Webb Telescope

@NASAWebb

1 Jan

We successfully deployed #NASAWebb’s port sunshield mid-boom, which pulls out our 5 sunshield layers. While scheduled for earlier today, our team paused to confirm the sunshield cover had fully rolled up: go.nasa.gov/3pL07Tn #UnfoldTheUniverse

Thread ⬇️

When switches did not trigger to indicate the sunshield covers were rolled up, team members used temperature data & gyroscope sensors to confirm that they had. This analysis took extra time, but allowed the team to move forward. #UnfoldTheUniverse

The deployment of the 5 telescoping segments of the mid-boom began around 1:30pm ET and reached full deployment at 4:49pm.

Webb's deployment steps are all human-controlled, so the schedule can change. The team plans to deploy the starboard mid-boom tonight. #UnfoldTheUniverse

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NASA Webb Telescope

@NASAWebb

27 Dec 21

Ooh, sick burn! 🔥

In this case, we’re not talking about insults, but a burn of fuel to adjust #NASAWebb’s trajectory on its million mile (1.5 million km) journey to #UnfoldTheUniverse. #ICYMI, Webb had its first mid-course correction burn Dec. 25: go.nasa.gov/32uctX1

So far, the post-launch journey has been smooth sailing. Burns are scheduled to leave as much remaining fuel as possible for #NASAWebb’s ordinary operations over its lifetime, like small adjustments to keep Webb in its desired orbit once it arrives. #UnfoldTheUniverse

One interesting aspect of the #NASAWebb launch and its burns is that we always "aim a little bit low." Webb's thrusters can only push Webb away from the Sun, not back toward the Sun (and Earth). We designed launch and these burns to always avoid drifting away.

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NASA Webb Telescope

@NASAWebb

22 Dec 21

Ahead of our launch, we asked you to show us what you believe #NASAWebb will reveal through art. Here are just some of submissions we received for our #UnfoldTheUniverse art challenge! Keep them coming! Special thanks to all of our participants. More info: go.nasa.gov/unfoldtheunive…

@NASAGoddard

Our gallery of #UnfoldTheUniverse submissions: webb.nasa.gov/content/featur…

Credits: @NASAGoddard/ Madison Dean, Lead Producer and Editor

Host: @kelliegerardi with Delta V.

Artists featured in this video:
Mason Cortez
Sreshta Velamuri
Jon Young
Galina Ivanova
Mashal
Collin Cochran
Thessaly Dunn
Jaden Berkley
Noelle Lui
Siddharth Sajith Nair
Shelina Swastika Kumar
Elena Schwer
Mansi Ashtamkar
Reyansh Sunwar
Jedidiah Dore
(1/2)

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NASA Webb Telescope

@NASAWebb

16 Jul 21

Tomorrow is #WorldEmojiDay! We’d like you to guess some Webb-themed emojis and tell us what they are in the comments below ⬇️ We'll reveal the answers soon!

1. The first answer is “Webb telescope”! That’s us — the largest and most powerful space observatory ever built. Webb will look back to about 13.6 billion years ago, observing the first stars, galaxies and more. Latest milestones: go.nasa.gov/3ihiquc

2. It’s “sunshield”! The sunshield is a 5-layer, tennis court-sized structure that will always protect Webb's sensitive mirrors & instruments from the heat/light of the Sun, Earth and Moon. More: jwst.nasa.gov/content/observ…

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NASA Webb Telescope

@NASAWebb

15 Jul 21

Tower stowed ✅
Lens cap removed ✅
Sunshield pallets stowed ✅

3 more testing milestones have been completed for #NASAWebb! The world’s most complex & powerful space telescope is making big progress for its launch & million-mile journey later this year. go.nasa.gov/3ihiquc

1. The tower is a pipe structure that helps Webb maintain operating temperatures by separating its cold optics from its warm spacecraft bus. Fully extended, the tower reaches 10 ft in length! Recently tested for the last time, it is now lowered & locked into place for launch.

@BallAerospace

2. Here, a @BallAerospace technician carefully removes Webb’s "lens cap," which has kept the observatory’s instruments protected and contaminant-free. With launch approaching, removing this cover gives engineers additional freedom in packing up the rest of the observatory.

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