Tracking the James Webb Telescope

Tracking the 10 billion dollar James Webb Space Telescope

December 25th - Liftoff
Deployed- spacecraft appendages (solar arrays, high gain antenna)
Working on - Unfolding sunshield
Hoping - Tower and mirrors deploy correctly
Discussion - Will we see the point in space where God said, "Let there be light?" And did that instigate what is called the big bang?

A lot can go wrong! Live from the James Webb site...

Where Is Webb? NASA/Webb

 

The secondary mirror is attached to the three large secondary support structures, fully deployed in the last image below, and I imagine will have to end up at an exact point. I am thinking the secondary mirror will be moveable and will have to be calibrated for the telescope to see images clearly. The Hubble Space telescope had calibration issues that required a space shuttle service mission. In this case, they are too far away.

 

Temperature readings just became available!

Where Is Webb? NASA/Webb

 

Flight controllers in Maryland had to reset Webb's solar panel to draw more power. “Everything is hunky-dory and doing well now.” Ochs expects the tightening of the sunshield to be drama-free.

"The best thing for operations is boring, and that's what we anticipate over the next three days, is to be boring," he told reporters in a teleconference. Next event is the unfolding of the mirrors.
https://phys.org/news/2022-01-nasa-space-telescope-hunky-dory-problems.html

 

The Secondary Mirror is fully deployed and latched...

Where Is Webb? NASA/Webb

 

Dealing successfully with the change of temperature this spacecraft has endured with since launch…

Aft Deployed Instrument Radiator
Aft Deployed Instrument Radiator (ADIR)
Nominal Event Time: Launch + 12 days
Status: Complete.

This activity releases the last of four launch locks that holds the Aft Deployed Instrument Radiator (ADIR) in its launch configuration. Releasing the last device allows springs to drive the ADIR into its final deployed position. The first three launch locks were released just after launch to prevent any unwanted strain in the system as the ADIR and telescope cools.

Video: This Step
Video: Full Deployment
Photos: Instrument Module

 

Beginning the Primary Mirror deployment phase. Wonderful web page by the way….

Where Is Webb? NASA/Webb

 

WEBB IS FULLY DEPLOYED!
The largest, most complex telescope ever launched into space is fully deployed.
Nominal Event Time: Launch + 14 days (Saturday 1/8/22)

Status: Completed. WATCH: Post-Deployment Briefing | Re-Watch Live Broadcast

Webb will be the premier observatory of the next decade, serving thousands of astronomers worldwide. It will study every phase in the history of our Universe, ranging from the first luminous glows after the Big Bang, to the formation of solar systems capable of supporting life on planets like Earth, to the evolution of our own Solar System.

Webb will continue to travel to the second Lagrange point (L2) for another two weeks, at which point it will enter a large orbit around the L2 point. The following five months will be used to cool the telescope to operating temperature, fine-tune the mirror alignment, and calibrate the instruments.

Video: Full Deployment | 29 Days On the Edge
3d Spins: Top View | Bottom View | Y-Axis
Photos: Flight Telescope | Story of Webb
Read: Science | Observatory | Sunshield | Mirrors

 

"NASA Says Space Debris Will Definitely Slam Into the James Webb Space Telescope" - Nasa warns meteorite could hit James Webb Space Telescope weeks after launch

 

Just in from the @NASAWebb team: "All 18 primary mirror segments and the secondary mirror are now fully deployed!" NASA Administrator Bill Nelson wrote in a tweet posted on Wednesday (Jan. 19). "Congratulations to the teams that have been working tirelessly since launch to get to this point. Soon, Webb will arrive at its new home, L2!"

JWST's golden primary mirror includes 18 individual hexagonal segments, each controlled by seven actuators that allow precise movements. All 18 segments are now in their deployed positions several days sooner than scheduled.

Where Is Webb? NASA/Webb

 

I believe we are in for a long wait! I believe positioning and calibration will also take a while!

 

With mirrors now fully deployed, Webb is now gearing up for its next crucial step: A crucial burn to insert it into the L2 orbit, currently set for Monday, January 24...

Where Is Webb? NASA/Webb

 

Hopefully our scientists won't get overly distracted while calculating the L2 insertion point...

 

February, 2022 - Mirror, or segment, alignment along with a bonus selfie! Where Is Webb? NASA/Webb

 

James Webb 4/16/22 alignment image...
https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/...ignment-milestone-optics-working-successfully

 

Capturing black holes...