So, about a month from now it will arrive at L2, slow down and start calibrating and testing its infrared systems and subsystems. Thus it will now be "quiet time" -- for a bit. But she is fully rigged, and ready for future interstellar space science.
Unless there is an unforeseen hiccup, we should start seeing patches of the early universe by about mid-Spring 2022. From Space.com, then -- with my redactions:
. . .Astronomers and space fans around the world can breathe a sigh of relief: The [NASA/ESA Next-Gen] Space Telescope is now fully deployed.
The $10 billion NASA observatory unfolded the second "wing" of its massive primary mirror today (Jan. 8), bringing the light-collecting structure up to its full size and marking the end of the mission's long, risky and ultra-complex deployment phase.
As the final mirror segment folded in place just before 10:30 a.m. EST (1530 GMT), [the] space telescope controllers traded high-fives and applauded in celebration. It will take about two hours to lock the mirror segment in place, NASA officials said. . . .
Now you know. . . smiling, as the sunshine beams in here. . . more to come -- ever, more to come, out into the undiscovered country -- of the future.
नमस्ते
No comments:
Post a Comment