the launch of The new space telescope, the largest and the most sophisticated that has been built, it is planned for the year 2018 on board a launcher "Ariane 5" from the premises of the European Space Agency (ESA)
The space telescope "James Webb", considered as the successor of the "Hubble", prepares to capture the light of the first galaxies and to deepen the understanding of the formation and evolution of planetary systems and the origin of life.
More than a hundred scientists from around the world participated in a working meeting at the headquarters that the THAT has in Villanueva de la Cañada (Madrid), to become familiar with tools that will take the new telescope and the tools of analysis that will be used to process the information that you will send to the Earth.
look beyond
The "James Webb", a joint mission of NASA, ESA and the Canadian Space incorporates a telescope of 6.5 m, so that nearly triples that of its predecessor, the "Hubble", operating since the year 1990 and with the convivirá in the space of several years.
The new telescope will look for light of the first stars and galaxies that formed after the "Big Bang" and let you know how they have evolved these galaxies, the different planetary systems and the origin of life.
But in addition will reach to "see" some of the outermost objects of the Universe and that are currently unreachable from the Land or from other gadgets, space, and also to characterize some of the exoplanets that have been found during the past few years.
what’s New
Among the technological developments of the telescope include the incorporation of a shield -the size of a tennis court – to protect you from solar radiation to keep it "cold" and guarantee its optimal functioning.
The scientific Macarena García, the European Agency of the Space and intended for the follow-up of this project in Baltimore (united States), explained that the construction and assembly of instruments is being carried out in different countries in accordance with the plans expected to culminate with the launch at the end of the year 2018.
Among the definitive proofs García referred to the test that are going to carry a giant camera -the same that was used in the Apollo Mission – in Houston, in which we are going to simulate the same conditions and characteristics with which the telescope will operate in space.
The researcher Luis Hill, Department of Astrophysics, Centre of Astrobiology, said that the "wavelength range" where the new telescope will begin its explorations "begins where just the Hubble".
A path full of obstacles
The "James Webb" has had to overcome many ups and downs that threatened even their continuity when the u.s. Congress questioned its viability, but the closure of budgets are very rigid (the united States contributes approximately 8.800 million dollars and the european contribution of around 600 million euros) allowed us to re-launch the project and that all deadlines are being met.
All of the scientists involved in the project coincidien to point out that the "Hubble" will go down in history for having found and discovered things that were not in the planning of the scientific mission, and are convinced that with the "James Webb" the same thing will occur and will provide information that today no one even suspected.
No comments:
Post a Comment