Fri, Jan 8, 2010
Washington, Jan 8 (IANS). NASA is developing a primary mirror 21.3 feet across, for use on the James Webb Space Telescope, to tell us about our beginning in the universe.
The primary mirror will serve as the telescope's eye and peer through dusty clouds to see stars forming planetary systems, connecting the Milky Way to our own solar system. Handling delicate space hardware holds no superstitious myths for NASA, but it's still a delicate task that requires careful preparation.
On Friday, six of the 18 Webb telescope mirror segments will be moved into the X-ray and Cryogenic Facility, or XRCF, at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Centre in Huntsville, to experience mercury dipping to minus 414 degrees F to ensure they can withstand the extreme space environments.
When the primary mirror is assembled in space, it will include three different shapes of mirror segments: 6 are 'A' segments, 6 are 'B' segments and 6 are 'C' segments. This upcoming test in the XRCF will collect data from all three sizes 'A, B and C' -- a first for these in the cryogenic facility.
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