James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) reaches orbital destination - Feb 10th update

New frontiers in space research - JWST starts its work

James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) reaches orbital destination - Feb 10th update

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• The story: On Jan 25, 2022, the James Webb Space Telescope - the world’s most powerful space telescope reached at its orbital destination (known as L2 or the second Sun-Earth Lagrange point). This is the most complex space telescope ever built and launched, at a cost of several billion dollars. It is the successor of the famed Hubble Space Telescope (HST), currently in a Low Earth Orbit (LEO).
• Key points: The telescope will orbit the Sun and will be about one million miles or 1.5 million kilometres away from Earth.  The JWST was launched 25 December 2021 on an ESA Ariane 5 rocket from Kourou, French Guiana and is intended to succeed the Hubble Space Telescope as NASA's flagship mission in astrophysics. The space telescope is named after James E. Webb,[14] who was the administrator of NASA from 1961 to 1968 during the Mercury, Gemini, and much of the Apollo programs.
• About JWST: The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is an orbiting spacecraft designed to observe some of the oldest and most distant objects and events in the Universe, including the first stars and formation of the first galaxies, and to provide detailed atmospheric characterization of potentially habitable exoplanets. The telescope is developed by the space agency of USA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA), and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). It provides improved infrared resolution and sensitivity over Hubble, viewing objects up to 100 times fainter than the faintest detectable by Hubble.
• What are Lagrange points and L2: Named after Italian-French mathematician Josephy-Louis Lagrange, these points are certain positions in space where the gravitational forces of two bodies, for example, the Sun and the Earth, produce a region of great attraction and repulsion and maintain an equilibrium. This region can be used by spacecraft to reduce fuel consumption that is needed to remain in a constant position. The L2 is a position directly behind Earth in the line joining the Sun and the Earth. L2 has been chosen because at this point the Sun, Earth (and Moon) are always on one side

1. At L2, Webb’s sun shield can always face all of these heat and light sources to protect Webb’s optics and instruments, which have to stay super cold to detect faint heat signals in the universe.
2. The orbit also ensures that Webb will never have the Sun eclipsed by Earth - necessary for Webb’s thermal stability and power generation.
3. L2 is also convenient for maintaining contact with the Mission Operations Center through the Deep Space Network.
4. The James Webb Space Telescope isn’t the first spacecraft to orbit L2.
5. The Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) launched in 2001 and the Herschel Space Observatory launched in 2009 use this orbit.

• Summary: JWST is conceived as a general-purpose observatory on which astronomers from around the world can apply for time to support their research. For example, observing in the infrared will allow JWST to see through the clouds of dust that enshroud very young stars, which are opaque to visible light. Unlike Hubble, it will be able to see right into stellar nurseries, where stars and their planetary systems are being born. The observations will answer questions about how the clouds of dust and gas collapse to form stars and how planetary systems form around them.
• EXAM QUESTIONS: (1) Explain the challenges and opportunities that the ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) faces in the field of space research. (2) Why have costly space telescopes at all? Explain. (3) What major mysteries is the JWST expected to uncover, in coming years? Speculate.

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