Now here's a nice, light, non-controversial topic …
Two kinds of Webb telescope mirrors arrive at NASA Goddard
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It takes two unique types of mirrors working together to see farther back in time and space than ever before, and engineers at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center have just received one of each type. Primary and Secondary Mirror Engineering Design Units (EDUs) have recently arrived at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center … and are undergoing examination and testing. When used on the James Webb Space Telescope those two types of mirrors will allow scientists to make those observations.
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The primary mirror is actually composed of 18 smaller hexagonal mirrors that are assembled together into what appears to be a giant hexagon that sits atop the Webb telescope's sunshield. Webb Telescope's scientists and engineers determined that a primary mirror measuring 6.5 meters (21 feet 4 inches) across is what was needed to measure the light from these distant galaxies. Each of these mirrors is constructed from beryllium, a light and strong metal. Each of the 18 mirror segments weighs approximately 20 kilograms (46 pounds).
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.. so why are the mirrors hexagonal in shape ?
Quote:
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Because a hexagon allows a segmented mirror to fit together without gaps. When Webb's primary mirror is focused on a distant star for example, that image will appear in all 18 mirror segments. To focus on the star and get one image, the mirror segments can then be tilted to align the 18 separate images into a single image.
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We're going to be hearing/seeing a lot from this beasite once it gets up there ! I found this article to be a beauty for describing how the Webb will do its thing.
Facinating design. Well done to evil minds who conceived it … sounds like a true masterpiece.
… who were those guys, anyway?? … and how did they do it ??
Cheers
