James Webb Space Telescope delivers first instrument
1 Jun 2012 by Evoluted New Media
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Centre has taken delivery of the first instrument for the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) – the Mid InfraRed Instrument, or MIRI.
MIRI – the first of four instruments to be completed – will allow astronomers to explore the formation of planets around distant stars, and study light that has travelled from the early moments of the universe.
“The whole team is delighted that our hard work and dedication has resulted in a MIRI instrument that will meet all our scientific expectations,” said Gillian Wright, European Principal Investigation for MIRI. “It is wonderful to be the first to achieve this major milestone for the JWST project. We can now look forward to significant scientific discoveries when it is launched.”
MIRI offers a sensitivity and resolution many times greater than any other mid-IR instrument – researchers say its camera is so sensitive it could see a candle on one of Jupiter’s moons – and provides imaging, coronagraphy and integral field spectroscopy over the 5-28 micron wavelength range. This means it can penetrate dust obscuring distant objects – allowing scientists to observe smaller and fainter objects than is currently possible.
“MIRI is an impressive result of more than ten years of work, led by Britain in partnership with Europe,” said Minister for Universities and Science, David Willetts. “With world-leading space research facilities at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, a host of excellent universities and strategic direction from the UK Space Agency, the UK is clearly well placed to contribute to major global missions.”
MIRI was built and tested at STFC’s Rutherford Appleton Laboratory – where they had to build specialist equipment to simulate the environment the instrument will experience in space. The instrument was shaken to mimic the impact of launch aboard an Ariane rocket, and put into a vacuum and subjected to extremely low temperatures – minus 266.5°C – it will experience in space.
JWST is due to launch in 2018, but NASA are taking delivery of instruments over the next year to ensure extensive and rigorous testing can take place before launch. As well as MIRI, the telescope will also include NIRSpec and NIRCam – a near-infrared spectrograph and camera – and NIRISS, Near Infrared Imager and Slitless Spectrograph.
