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NASA Webb Telescope

10 Jan, 8 tweets, 4 min read

❄️ Now that our deployments are complete, just like our telescope, we’re entering a period of cooldown. Our updates will be less frequent, but that doesn’t mean things have stopped happening: blogs.nasa.gov/webb/2022/01/1…

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https://twitter.com/NASAWebb/status/1476259866310320137?s=20

First, what do we mean by “cooldown”? If you’ve been checking the temperatures of our “cold side” at webb.nasa.gov/whereiswebb, you can see we’re still a ways off from our operating temperatures of less than 50 Kelvin (about -370° F, or -223° C).

https://twitter.com/NASAWebb/status/1476259866310320137?s=20

The deployment of our sunshield helped a lot with quickly lowering the temperatures on the cold side, but further cooling down will take place more slowly over time. The sunshield helps to passively cool Webb, meaning the optics get cold solely by being in the shade. 🌡

Our Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) needs to be especially cold: only 7 Kelvin (about -447° F, or -266° C)! Luckily, it’s got a special refrigerator — a cryocooler — for the job, which uses active cooling:
jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasas-web…

More: webb.nasa.gov/content/about/…

In the next two weeks, we’ll get into orbit. We'll also start moving each of the 18 segments of our primary mirror, as well as our secondary mirror, out of their launch positions. This will serve as a precursor to aligning our mirrors once they’ve cooled down!

https://twitter.com/NASAWebb/status/1479861139089596421?s=20

Aligning our mirrors is no easy task, but it will allow us to be very precise. Using tiny motors, we can align our primary mirror segments to 1/10,000th the thickness of a human hair.

https://twitter.com/NASAWebb/status/1479861139089596421?s=20

Then once we’ve cooled down and aligned our mirrors, we still have to calibrate each of our 4 scientific instruments: NIRCam, NIRSpec, MIRI, & FGS/NIRISS. What do each of those acronyms mean, and what do these instruments do? Start here: jwst.nasa.gov/content/observ…

@NASAWebb

At the end of this 5+ month process, we’ll be ready for science! We can’t wait for our first science images, expected in summer. Here’s where you can find us besides @NASAWebb 👇

Track Webb: webb.nasa.gov/whereiswebb
Blog: blogs.nasa.gov/webb (will update weekly)

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NASA Webb Telescope

@NASAWebb

8 Jan

We are GO for #NASAWebb’s final mirror wing deployment this morning! Here’s what you should expect:

🔲 Fire pins to release mirror wing
🔲 Unfold mirror
🔲 Latch the wing (2+ hours) ⏱
🔲 🥳🕺🏽🎉
🔲 #UnfoldTheUniverse! (5+ months) ✨
More: go.nasa.gov/3G8Bc1P

✅ Click! We just fired the last 4 of #NASAWebb's 178 release mechanisms, or pins — all of which had to work perfectly for this unfolding to take place. These 4 will release the restraints that held Webb's mirror wing safely in place during launch. #UnfoldTheUniverse

@SpaceTelescope

🚗 Folks, start your engines!

As the #NASAWebb team gets ready to deploy the second primary mirror wing from @SpaceTelescope, they just completed a small motor checkout movement, ensuring the wing is ready to go. #UnfoldTheUniverse

Read 11 tweets

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.

Read 7 tweets

NASA Webb Telescope

@NASAWebb

4 Jan

Can you feel the tension? Webb is feeling it...in a good way! We tensioned 3 of 5 sunshield layers yesterday. Today we start with Layer 4: blogs.nasa.gov/webb/2022/01/0…

Follow along LIVE for the final layer starting ~9:30 am ET (14:30 UTC): nasa.gov/live #UnfoldTheUniverse

We just tensioned #NASAWebb’s sunshield some more, that was Layer 4. Now everybody look alive, it’s time to tension Layer 5! And better yet — keep watching along live: nasa.gov/live #UnfoldTheUniverse

If you’re tuned in to our live broadcast, now’s the perfect time to go grab a drink of water! Coverage resumes at 11:30 am ET (16:30 UTC) for the tensioning of Webb’s fifth and final sunshield layer 🤩

More on our sunshield: jwst.nasa.gov/content/observ… #UnfoldTheUniverse

Read 4 tweets

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

Read 4 tweets

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.

Read 4 tweets

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)

Read 4 tweets

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