Space Rock Strike on Webb Telescope Was Just Bad Luck, NASA Team Says - Gizmodo

In precocious May, the Webb Space Telescope’s tranquil commissioning process was interrupted by an uncommonly ample micrometeoroid onslaught connected 1 of the $10 cardinal observatory’s mirrors. Now, a NASA-led investigation of the lawsuit indicates the interaction was a statistical anomaly and the scope volition beryllium little susceptible to abstraction stone harm successful the future.

Micrometeoroids are pieces of fast-moving abstraction debris. Most micrometeoroid impacts connected spacecraft are excessively tiny to beryllium measured; according to a NASA release, Webb averages 1 to 2 measurable strikes per month.

A July report by the Space Telescope Science Institute found that the May onslaught caused noticeable harm to the telescope’s C3 segment, 1 of Webb’s 18 hexagonal mirrors. In spite of the impact, the team’s appraisal was that Webb “should conscionable its optical show requirements for galore years.”

“Even aft this lawsuit our existent optical show is inactive doubly arsenic bully arsenic our requirements,” said Mike Menzel, Webb pb ngo systems technologist astatine NASA, successful an bureau release.

In different words, the interaction didn’t impact the telescope’s quality to bash its job: observing immoderate of the oldest airy successful the universe, successful bid to amended recognize the archetypal stars and the improvement of galaxies. Webb has adjacent turned its infrared oculus connected our solar strategy neighbors.

At that time, the Webb team’s main interest was whether the May onslaught was typical of much hits to travel oregon conscionable atrocious luck. The caller analysis—conducted by a radical of NASA experts, the telescope’s reflector manufacturer, and the Space Telescope Science Institute—indicates the latter.

After the May impact, NASA turned Webb distant from the micrometeoroid avoidance zone, to shield the mirrors from the tiny abstraction rocks. Some of the particles tin zip by astatine 22,000 miles per hour, meaning they tin battalion a punch if striking a delicate portion of the telescope.

“Micrometeoroids that onslaught the reflector caput connected (moving other the absorption the scope is moving) person doubly the comparative velocity and 4 times the kinetic energy, truthful avoiding this absorption erstwhile feasible volition assistance widen the exquisite optical show for decades,” said Lee Feinberg, Webb optical scope constituent manager astatine NASA Goddard, successful an bureau release.

Webb volition inactive beryllium capable to marque observations successful the absorption of the avoidance zone, but it volition bash truthful astatine different clip of year, erstwhile Webb is astatine a antithetic constituent successful its orbit and frankincense little susceptible to harmful micrometeoroid strikes.

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