Skip to main content

James Webb Telescope Successfully Arrived at Its Final Destination

Image
By
Webb fired its onboard thrusters for nearly five minutes (297 seconds) to complete the final postlaunch course correction to Webb’s trajectory. This mid-course correction burn inserted Webb toward its final orbit around the second Sun-Earth Lagrange point, or L2, nearly 1 million miles away from the Earth.

The final mid-course burn added only about 3.6 miles per hour (1.6 meters per second) – a mere walking pace – to Webb’s speed, which was all that was needed to send it to its preferred “halo” orbit around the L2 point.

“Webb, welcome home!” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “Congratulations to the team for all of their hard work ensuring Webb’s safe arrival at L2 today. We’re one step closer to uncovering the mysteries of the universe. And I can’t wait to see Webb’s first new views of the universe this summer!”
Webb has used as little propellant as possible for course corrections while it travels out to the realm of L2, to leave as much remaining propellant as possible for Webb’s ordinary operations over its lifetime: station-keeping (small adjustments to keep Webb in its desired orbit) and momentum unloading (to counteract the effects of solar radiation pressure on the huge sunshield).
“During the past month, JWST has achieved amazing success and is a tribute to all the folks who spent many years and even decades to ensure mission success,” said Bill Ochs, Webb project manager at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. “We are now on the verge of aligning the mirrors, instrument activation and commissioning, and the start of wondrous and astonishing discoveries.”

Now that Webb’s primary mirror segments and secondary mirror have been deployed from their launch positions, engineers will begin the sophisticated three-month process of aligning the telescope’s optics to nearly nanometer precision.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

After Pope Francis’ Shocking Death, Who Will Become the Next Pope? Meet the Top Contenders

By
In a historic and emotional moment, the world mourns the death of Pope Francis, a leader known for his humility, reforms, and global influence. As millions grieve, attention now shifts to the ancient and secretive process that will determine his successor: the papal conclave. In the heart of the Vatican, preparations are underway for an event that will shape the future of the Catholic Church for decades to come. Who will ascend to the highest spiritual office on Earth? Let’s dive into what’s happening behind the scenes and meet the top contenders poised to become the next Pope. The papal conclave — a centuries-old tradition — will bring together 120 cardinals from across the world to cast their votes inside the Sistine Chapel. These cardinals, all under the age of 80, are tasked with choosing the next spiritual leader from among themselves. The conclave is steeped in ritual, mystery, and absolute secrecy. Once locked inside, no communication with the outside world is allowed until wh...
Post a Comment
Read more

LOOK UP! Rare ‘Smiley Face’ Planetary Alignment Will Light Up the Sky on April 25 – And It Won’t Happen Again Soon

By
  The night sky is about to show off in the most unexpected way! On April 25, 2025, a rare and charming celestial event will grace the heavens—a planetary alignment that looks like a glowing smiley face . Yes, you read that right! The Moon, Venus, and Jupiter will align in a perfect arc, creating a brilliant smile in the sky that’s got astronomers and stargazers buzzing with excitement. This delightful cosmic configuration doesn’t happen often, and when it does, it captures imaginations around the world. Venus and Jupiter, two of the brightest planets visible from Earth, will serve as the “eyes,” while the crescent Moon forms the curve of a celestial “smile.” The event will be visible to the naked eye just after sunset, especially from locations with a clear western horizon. The last time a similar formation was visible was back in 2008, and it won’t return in quite the same way for years. For many space lovers, this is a once-in-a-generation moment. Social media has alre...
Post a Comment
Read more

Was Pope Francis Gone Before We Knew? Shocking Claims Rock the Vatican!

By
The world was stunned when the death of Pope Francis was officially announced. But in a shocking twist, conspiracy theories have exploded online, claiming that the Pope may have died long before the Vatican made it public. Was the world kept in the dark? Was there a hidden battle behind the walls of the Holy See? New details and wild speculation are fueling a firestorm of controversy that is only growing hotter. Social media platforms from X (formerly Twitter) to TikTok are ablaze with claims that insiders knew about Pope Francis’ death hours — even days — before the official statement. Hashtags like #VaticanSecrets and #PopeFrancisConspiracy have been trending nonstop as users post screenshots, leaked messages, and alleged “inside information” from anonymous Vatican sources. According to some viral posts, unusual signs had already appeared days before the Vatican made any announcement. Eyewitnesses claim to have seen a significant increase in security around the papal apartments, m...
Post a Comment
Read more