The Insane Engineering of James Webb Telescope
Real Engineering・22 minutes read
The James Webb telescope, launching on December 24th, features advanced technology and designs like a complex unfolding sunshield, cryocooler system, and gold-coated beryllium mirror to support its crucial astronomical missions. NASA aims to expand its exploration capabilities by exploring potential refueling technologies to extend the telescope's 10-year lifespan, showcasing innovation in space exploration.
Insights
- The James Webb telescope, launching on December 24th, is a cutting-edge space observatory positioned at Lagrange point 2, utilizing a complex sunshield made of Kapton and aluminum to maintain a temperature of -233 degrees Celsius for optimal operation.
- The telescope's advanced features, including a cryocooler cooling system, golden mirror with 18 segments, and fine guiding system, showcase NASA's commitment to pushing the boundaries of space exploration while highlighting the need for innovative technologies to extend the telescope's 10-year lifespan through potential refueling efforts.
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Recent questions
How much does the James Webb telescope cost?
10 billion dollars
Where will the James Webb telescope be launched from?
European SpacePort in Kourou, French Guiana
What material is the sunshield of the telescope made of?
Kapton coated with aluminum
How far from Earth will the James Webb telescope be positioned?
1.5 million kilometers
What is the temperature the sunshield must maintain for the telescope to operate correctly?
-233 degrees Celsius
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Summary
00:00
"James Webb Telescope Launch: Key Details"
- The James Webb telescope is launching on December 24th, costing 10 billion dollars and consuming a quarter of NASA's astronomy budget.
- The telescope will be launched from the European SpacePort in Kourou, French Guiana, aboard the Ariane 5 rocket.
- The telescope will be positioned at Lagrange point 2, 1.5 million kilometers from Earth, to avoid interference from the Sun's heat.
- The telescope's sunshield must maintain a temperature of -233 degrees Celsius to operate correctly.
- The sunshield is made of Kapton, a high-performance plastic coated with aluminum for reflectivity.
- The layers of the sunshield are angled to funnel out reflected radiation and gradually reduce temperature towards critical components.
- The unfolding process of the sunshield is complex, with over 300 potential points of failure.
- The sunshield is designed to prevent damage from micrometeorites with rip stop seams and carefully molded shapes.
- The telescope's active cooling system, including a cryocooler, is crucial to maintain the mid-infrared detection instrument at 7 degrees Kelvin.
- The cryocooler uses a two-cylinder horizontally-opposed pump and pulse tubes to cool helium gas, ensuring precise temperature control for the telescope's operation.
16:31
"James Webb Telescope: Advanced Technology in Space"
- The heat exchange in the spacecraft conducts heat to the sunshield's center, allowing it to radiate into space, while the cold part cools the infrared sensors to 6.2 degrees kelvin.
- The pulse tube cryocooler operates based on physical phenomena, enabling the infrared sensors in the telescope's golden mirror to function.
- The telescope's golden mirror comprises 18 hexagonal segments, each 6.5 meters in diameter, made of beryllium plated in gold for lightweight, precise reflection.
- Beryllium, being lightweight and stiff, is ideal for maintaining the mirror's shape at cryogenic temperatures, while gold, despite not being the best visible light reflector, excels in reflecting the infrared spectrum.
- A thin 0.1 micron gold coat over the beryllium subsurface, totaling 48.2 grams, ensures efficient reflection on the mirror's 25 m2 surface.
- The James Webb Telescope's large mirror, 5.5 times larger than Hubble's, is crucial for capturing extremely dim stellar objects, requiring a wide light-collecting area.
- The mirror's programmable nature allows each of the 18 segments to adjust their shape and position for precise alignment with the secondary mirror, ensuring accurate focus.
- The telescope's fine guiding system, controlled by a guide star, maintains target alignment every 64 milliseconds, aided by 16 hydrazine-fed thrusters for position adjustments.
- The telescope's hypergolic reaction thrusters, fueled by hydrazine and dinitrogen tetroxide, ensure reliable and repeated firing without the need for an igniter.
- The James Webb Telescope's 10-year lifespan is limited by its fuel, with NASA exploring technologies for potential refueling, highlighting the evolving capabilities in space exploration.
