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SOURCE: NASA PRESS
The James Webb Space Telescope has completed the last of its nearly 50 major deployments.
On Sat. Jan. 8, NASA ground teams coordinated the multi-day, multi-step process of unfolding and locking into place Webb’s two primary mirror wings, after they had been folded back initially to fit inside the Ariane 5 rocket that brought the observatory into space.
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See how the process took place…
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Next in the telescope’s six-month commissioning process is:
Traveling to its final orbital destination, known as Lagrange point 2
Moving its mirror segments to align the telescope’s optics
Cooling the ‘cold side’ of the telescope to the frigid temperatures necessary to detect faint heat signatures from across the universe
Calibrating the telescope’s science instruments
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Once fully operational, Webb will explore every phase of cosmic history – from our own solar system to the most distant observable galaxies. Join us as Webb reveals new and unexpected discoveries and helps humanity understand the origins of the universe and our place in it. Explore more about the Webb Mission RIGHT HERE
SOURCE: NASA PRESS
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