It is the largest and most expensive NASA space telescope ever built. It will see deeper into the cosmos then its predecessor Hubble.
But the $10 billion (£7.2bn) James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is also by far the US space agency’s most complicated, meaning there will still be scores of potential pitfalls even when it is finally launched next month.
There are more than 300. That is according to NASA, which has estimated there are 344 ways the six-tonne observatory could fail when it takes up its orbit 930,000 miles from Earth.
The JWST will begin “the most complex sequence ever attempted in one space mission” approximately 28 minutes after blast off, according to the US space agency.
NASA estimates that there are 344 possible failures of the James Webb Space Telescope (pictured), when it takes up its orbit 930,000 Miles from Earth. This was just after its launch on December 18.
It will be able to unfold itself from its launch rocket once it is in orbit. This process can be compared to an origami exercise reversed.
This will take place over a period about 14 years. It will involve the choreographed movements of all kinds of pulleys and levers, hinges cables, springs, cables, and cables.
‘There are 344 single-point-of-failure items on average,’ according to Mike Menzel, Webb lead mission systems engineer for NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland, who said that ‘approximately 80 per cent of those are associated with the deployment’.
He said, “When I started in the business around 40 years ago I remember one of my first lessons was to avoid orbital deployments.
James Webb can’t avoid deployments. James Webb must perform some of most difficult deployment sequences, which come with many challenges.
Northrop Grumman built JWST, with final assembly and testing taking place in August at Redondo Beach’s aerospace manufacturer’s facility.
Krystal Pug, Northrop Grumman’s JWST Spacecraft Systems Engineer, stated during the briefing that there are 144 release mechanisms for the telescope, all of which must function perfectly.
The $10 billion (£7.2bn) James Webb space telescope is a successor to Hubble, and will allow astronomers to peer deeper into the Universe than ever before
The mirror must be folded up in order to fit inside the rocket (artist’s impression pictured), before it can be retracted in space.
She explained that the sunshield is similar to a skydiver’s parachute. It must be folded perfectly so that it unfolds smoothly and deploys without any tangles.
Alphonso Steward is the JWST deployment systems leader for NASA Goddard. He said that ‘Like an origami item, proper folding and unfolding are necessary in order to achieve a particular shape.
Menzel stated that the team had reduced as many release mechanisms as possible.
He said that he found the perfect balance between the control he wants and large flexible membranes without adding too many points of failure.
Menzel stressed the importance of the extensive work that was done to ensure the mission’s success.
He said, “When we identify a single-point failure, we give them very special treatment.”
“We have what is known as a critical item management plan, and we always add inspection points. These devices have also been subject to additional offline testing.
JWST has been plagued by delays and cost overruns, including many with the readiness of the European Space Agency’s Ariane-5 rocket, which is due to send it up into space on December 18.
It will take three days for the rocket to reach lunar orbit and 27 days to reach its final orbit.
It will be able to see the first stars in the Universe when it is in position. This mirror is 21ft in diameter, compared to Hubble’s 7.8ft.
JWST will, however, be more focused on the infrared wavelength than the visible light.
It will allow astronomers to see cosmic dawn (the birth and development of the first stars 13.5 billion year ago) and also reveal atmospheres from distant worlds.
The Canadian Space Agency (CSA), NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, and ESA have created the latest space observatory. This joint project is described as a ‘colossal achievement’ that will transform our view of the universe.
The observatory houses a variety of state-of–the-art cameras and spectrographs as well as the largest astronomical mirror ever launched to space.