NASA's Webb Telescope reaches major milestone as 'Mirror Unfolds'
January 09, 2022 7:31 ISTThe Webb mission will explore every phase of cosmic history - from within our solar system to the most distant observable galaxies in the early universe.
The Webb mission will explore every phase of cosmic history - from within our solar system to the most distant observable galaxies in the early universe.
The last portion of the 21-foot (6.5-meter) mirror swung into place at flight controllers’ command, completing the unfolding of the James Webb Space Telescope.
"Bright “pop-up” clouds are visible above the lower storm, casting shadows on the cloud bank below. As small as they appear in comparison to the large storm below, these clouds are typically 31 miles (50 km) across," NASA said.
The $10 billion telescope is more than halfway toward its destination 1 million miles (1.6 million kilometres) away, following its Christmas Day send-off. It is the biggest and most powerful observatory ever launched — 100 times more powerful than the Hubble Space Telescope — enabling it to peer back to almost the beginning of time.
2021 was a big year in the world of science. The world witnessed millionaires conduct space explorations, NASA launch James Webb Telescope, China bringing back a sample to earth from the moon, and many more milestones. Here is a list of the biggest moments in science with mind-blowing pictures and videos from out of the world (literally).
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope soared from French Guiana on South America’s northeastern coast, riding a European Ariane rocket into the Christmas morning sky.
Launched in 2018 to explore the mysteries of the Sun, the Parker Solar Probe has, so far, completed nine full orbits of the Sun. Before its prime mission ends in 2025, it will complete another 15 orbits.
In a statement, NASA announced that it has chosen 10 new astronaut candidates from a field of more than 12,000 applicants to represent the US and work for humanity’s benefit in space. The list includes an Indian-origin doctor.
The Prawn Nebula is a massive stellar nursery located in the constellation Scorpius, about 6,000 light-years from Earth.
The mission aims to see if intentionally crashing a spacecraft into an asteroid is an effective way to change its course, if an Earth-threatening asteroid is discovered in the future.
NASA is collaborating with the US Department of Energy's Idaho National Laboratory to establish a sun-independent power source for missions to the moon by the end of the decade.
It is common for satellites in earth orbit to undergo collision avoidance manoeuvres to mitigate collision risk due to space objects including space debris and operational spacecraft.
The crew launch marked SpaceX's fourth for NASA in 1-1/2 years and the company's fifth passenger flight overall.
Another reason for the delay is that the original 2024 deadline set by the Trump administration "was not grounded in technical feasibility," Nelson said.
These first light images show Detroit, Michigan, with neighbouring Lake St. Clair, the intersection of cities and beaches along a changing Florida coastline and images from Navajo Country in Arizona.
The flare originated from a sunspot called AR2887 currently positioned in the center of the sun and facing the Earth, based on its location, Spaceweather.com reported.
The possible exoplanet -- or planets outside of our Solar System -- candidate is located in the spiral galaxy Messier 51 (M51), also called the Whirlpool Galaxy because of its distinctive profile, NASA said in a statement.
Confirmation of the new target date, which was rumoured in Aug, comes a day after engineers fully stacked the SLS inside NASA's massive hangar at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
NASA said the mission team is working on analysing the problem and will come up with the next steps in the days ahead.
Astronomers at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Space and Plasma Physics, Sweden found that Europa harbours a vast ocean underneath its icy surface, but, mysteriously, only in one hemisphere.
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