withstand strikes<\/a> by tiny space debris over time. The space agency also did a combination of simulations and ground testing with mirror samples to determine how to best strengthen the mirrors to withstand micrometeoroid impacts. However, NASA says that the models they used for these simulations didn\u2019t have a micrometeoroid this large, and it was \u201cbeyond what the team could have tested on the ground.\u201d<\/p>\nStill, this doesn\u2019t come as a total surprise. \u201cWe always knew that Webb would have to weather the space environment, which includes harsh ultraviolet light and charged particles from the Sun, cosmic rays from exotic sources in the galaxy, and occasional strikes by micrometeoroids within our solar system,\u201d Paul Geithner, technical deputy project manager at NASA\u2019s Goddard Space Flight Center, said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n<\/source><\/picture>\n
<\/span><\/p>\n
<\/span><\/p>\n
The primary mirror of JWST undergoing testing on Earth<\/em><\/figcaption>Image: NASA<\/cite><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n
Engineers do have the capability to also maneuver JWST\u2019s mirror and instruments away from showers of space debris, if NASA can see them coming. The problem, though, was that this micrometeoroid was not part of a shower, so NASA considers it an \u201cunavoidable chance event.\u201d Still, the agency is forming an engineering team to come up with ways to potentially avoid or lessen the effects of micrometeoroid strikes of this size. And since JWST is so sensitive, the telescope will also help NASA get a better understanding of just how many micrometeoroids there are in the deep space environment.<\/p>\n
Despite the strike, NASA remained optimistic in its post about JWST\u2019s future. \u201cWebb\u2019s beginning-of-life performance is still well above expectations, and the observatory is fully capable of performing the science it was designed to achieve,\u201d according to the blog. Engineers can also adjust the impacted mirror to help cancel out the data distortion. The mission team has done this already and will continue to tinker with the mirror over time to get the best results. It\u2019s a process that will be ongoing throughout JWST\u2019s planned five to 10 years of life as new observations are made and events unfold. At the same time, <\/strong>NASA warns that the engineers will not be able to completely cancel out the impact of the strike.<\/p>\n\n
The telescope is on its own out in space<\/q><\/aside>\n<\/div>\nNASA engineers had to build JWST to be incredibly robust since the telescope is on its own out in space. Unlike its predecessor, the Hubble Space Telescope, which is currently in orbit around Earth, JWST was not designed to be serviceable. That means if something significant breaks on the spacecraft, engineers will have to troubleshoot a way to fix it from the ground. There\u2019s no capability at the moment to send humans or a robotic spacecraft to give JWST a tune-up. That means JWST will have to live with its slightly damaged mirror until the end of its mission, and NASA expects the spacecraft to get hit by even more debris over time.<\/p>\n
In the meantime, the strike doesn\u2019t appear to be impacting JWST\u2019s schedule. In fact, the news of this micrometeoroid comes just a month before a huge milestone for the mission. After spending the last few months finely calibrating JWST\u2019s instruments and delicately aligning the spacecraft\u2019s mirrors, the mission team is set to unveil the first full-color images from JWST on July 12th. NASA won\u2019t say what the images will be, but they should be spectacular.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Source: https:\/\/www.theverge.com\/2022\/6\/8\/23160209\/nasa-james-webb-space-telescope-meteor-strike-impact<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Source: NASA\u2019s new powerful space observatory, the James Webb Space Telescope, got pelted by a larger than expected micrometeoroid at the end of May, causing some detectable damage to one of the spacecraft\u2019s 18 primary mirror segments. The impact means that the mission team will have to correct for the distortion created by the strike, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[41,26,33],"tags":[42],"class_list":["post-7606","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-nasa","category-science","category-space","tag-nasa"],"yoast_head":"\n
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