NASA
Topics
Missions
Galleries
NASA TV
Follow NASA
Downloads
About
NASA Audiences
Search
Latest
Related
Webb Telescope
NASAs Webb Reaches Alignment
Mar 16,2022
Milestone; Opzics Working Successfully
RELEASE
22-024
17 hours ag0
El telescopic Webb de la NASA aicanza un
NASA's Webb Reaches Alignment Milestone, Optics
in]
hitc en SU alineacion
Working Successfully
17 hours ag0
Lee esta nota de prensa en espafiol aqui.
NASA to Discuss Progress as Webb
Telescope'5 Mirrors Align
Following the completion of critical mirror alignment steps; NASA's James Webb Space Telescope team expects that Webb's optical performance will be able to
davs ag0
meet or exceed the science goals the observatory was built to achieve.
NASA to Discuss Webb Telescope Progress,
On March 11
the Webb team completed the stage of alignment known as "fine phasing_
At this key stage in the commissioning of Webb's Oprical Telescope
Mirror Alignment
Element; every optica
parameter that has been checked and tested is performing at, or above, expectations
The team also found no critical issues and no
month ago
measurable contamination or blockages to Webb's optical
The observatory is able to successfully gather light from distant objects and deliver it to its
instruments without issue.
NASA to Discuss Webb'
Krrival at Final
Although there are months to go before Webb ultimately delivers its new view of the cosmos; achieving
Destination; Next Steps
this milestone means the team is confident that Webb's first-of-its-kind optical system is working as
TeLESCOPE Alicnient EValuatidm IMAGE
months 2g0
well as possible_
NASA
"More than 20 years ago, the Webb team set out to build the most powerful telescope that anyone has
Aun ano del mandatc de Biden; Ia
ever
in space and came up with an audacious optical design to meet demanding science goals
mira hacia
futurc
said Thomas Zurbuchen,
associate administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in
months ago
Washington:
Today we can say that design is going tO deliver:
One Year into the Biden Administration;
While some of the largest ground-based telescopes on Earth use segmented primary mirrors, Webb is
NASA Looks to Future
the first telescope in space to use such
design: The 21-foot, 4-inch (6.5-meter) primary mirror
much
months 2g0
too big to fit inside
rocket fairing
is made up of 18 hexagonal, beryllium mirror segments
It had to
While the pumose of this image vra5
focus on the bright star at
be folded up for launch and then unfolded in space before each mirror was adjusted
tO within
the cee
for alignment evaluation, Webb's optics and NIRCam
nanometers
to form
single mirror surface.
50 sensitive that the galaxies and stars seen
background show up
At this stage
Webb'
mirror alignment,
"In addition to enabling the incredible science that Webb will achieve, the teams that designed; built,
Xnoxm
"fine phasing,
each of the primary mirror segments
tested, launched, and now operate this observatory have pioneered
new way to build space
have been adjusted
produce one unified image of the same
star using only the NIRCam instrument: This image of the star;
telescopes,
said Lee Feinberg; Webb optica
telescope
lement manager at NASA's Goddard Space
which
called ZMASS J17554042-6551277, Uses
iilter
Flight Center in Greenbelt; Maryland.
optimize visual contrast
Credits: NASAISTScl
NASAs Webb Reaches Alignment Milestone; Optics Working Successfully
Watch later
Share
Wcod
path:
pUl
nic'