Many people have been curious about NASA James Webb Space Telescope status since its launch a few days ago, especially since the freshly launched telescope has several intriguing missions. Fortunately, a simple technique can follow the space telescope without costing a fortune.
A woman stands near a model of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, on April 2, 2015.
Know James Webb Space Telescope's Status Using This Tool
According to Mashable, NASA launched the new $10 billion telescope into orbit on December 25, describing the delicate and challenging deployment process as 29 days on edge.
Fortunately, this NASA website provides a simple tool for tracking the status of the James Webb Telescope.
The tracker contains a wealth of information on the space telescope, including the time since launch, distance traveled, cruise speed, and more.
The telescope is over 375,000 miles from Earth as of this writing, which is the equivalent of crossing the length of the United States 120 times.
The Webb Telescope's Deployable Tower Assembly (DTA) has been installed at this time. This movement or distance creates the gap between the spaceship and the telescope, allowing for enhanced thermal isolation and the unfolding of the solar shield membranes.
To explain, the DTA is shaped like a huge black pipe and is made of a graphite-epoxy composite material that ensures stability and strength in high-temperature environments like space. According to NASA, the DTA spans to a length of 10 feet once fully deployed.
The DTA's job is to communicate with and assist the spacecraft and telescope constructions. A mechanical lead screw connects two massive nested telescopic tubes. It's a deployable structure that's exceptionally light yet extremely strong and durable.
The Aft Momentum Flap, which is utilized to assist counteract part of the solar pressure that impinges on the enormous sun shield, would be the next stage for the James Webb Telescope after DTA.
ALSO READ: NASA James Webb Space Telescope Starts Most Complicated Challenge of Unfolding Its Sunshield
About James Webb Telescope
The James Webb Telescope, according to NASA, is the most powerful and largest space research telescope ever built.
The observatory, launched from French Guiana, is presently in a one-million-mile orbit. It will spend six months in orbit adjusting its mirrors, sunshield, and other minor components and cooling, aligning, and calibrating the spacecraft.
Astronomers all across the globe will be able to conduct scientific observations to understand more about the universe. Webb will also add to the science that previous NASA missions have already performed.
To underscore, the James Webb Space Telescope's groundbreaking technology will be used to investigate every phase of cosmic history, from our solar system to the furthest observable galaxies in the early universe.
Webb's infrared telescope will look at several scientific topics to learn more about the universe's origins and our place in it. In addition, Webb will be the first to see a hitherto unseen area of space and time.
The telescope would look back over 13.5 billion years to when the first stars and galaxies formed.
The continual expansion of the cosmos has stretched the ultraviolet and visible light emitted by the first bright objects, resulting in today's infrared light. Webb was designed to "see" infrared light with extreme sensitivity and precision.
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