The James Webb Space Telescope will be the largest telescope ever launched into space, but it’s not without its issues. One of the biggest issues involves its MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument). Originally, the James Webb Space Telescope was set to launch in 2013 and become operational by 2016, but a failure with the instrument has pushed back the launch date to 2020 and raised concerns about whether or not scientists will be able to effectively use it once it does launch.
Brief background on JWST
The James Webb Space Telescope is an upcoming large space observatory. It will be the successor to the Hubble Space Telescope, studying light from approximately 550-1350 nanometers (near-infrared, visible, near-ultraviolet). The telescope has a main mirror measuring 6.5 meters in diameter. The JWST is also equipped with a secondary mirror that can fold up out of the way as well as a series of instruments for imaging and analyzing what it sees. One of these instruments, called the Mid InfraRed Instrument or MIRI, has been giving some trouble during tests on Earth.
Miri is one of four science instrument package on board JWST, specifically designed to study things such as planets around other stars, black holes, and galaxies in the process of being formed. A new target date for its first astronomical observations may not come until 2020. NASA engineers are trying to figure out if there is any way they can fix the issue before launch in 2018, but there’s no guarantee it will happen. If engineers cannot find a solution by 2018 then NASA will postpone the launch for a year and use more time to look at what went wrong. One potential idea is removing the problem device entirely and replacing it with something else. Another possibility is modifying the existing device so that it can function even though its performance might not be optimal. What would happen to all of those people who have already contributed money towards this project? They would need to decide whether they want their contributions returned or wait longer than expected. Although the extra wait time could lead to people losing interest in the project, delaying launches does give engineers additional opportunities to test devices beforehand. Furthermore, this would help maintain investor confidence. In terms of scientific discoveries we could miss out on if we postpone the launch by a year: we won’t know anything until 2028 because scientists won’t get to analyze data taken by the device until then. Theoretically, although it would be disappointing to see our work delayed by a whole year, there’s really nothing much we can do about it now. We should just try to keep our heads high and move forward. There is no perfect answer, and delaying the launch by a year may make us lose funding altogether. However, that doesn’t mean we should stop looking for solutions while there’s still hope. Let’s put our efforts into solving this issue before it becomes too late!
Background on MIRI sensor
MIRI stands for Mid-Infrared Instrument. It is one of the four instruments on the James Webb Space Telescope. The sensor is being developed by a team at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD with the help of international partners. The main goal is to measure infrared light coming from stars and galaxies that cannot be seen with an optical telescope, such as Andromeda Galaxy or Bode’s Galaxy. MIRI also measures starlight reflecting off planetary atmospheres, which can tell us about the composition of these atmospheres and their potential habitability.
Another important use for MIRI is probing the dust disks surrounding very young stars and looking at how they change over time. These disks are believed to be the building blocks of solar systems like ours, but we have never been able to study them before now. So what do you think happened? Recently, MIRI has stopped functioning correctly. While engineers are working around the clock to figure out what exactly is wrong and try to fix it, it seems as though some changes might have helped get MIRI back up and running again – giving scientists hope that this instrument may not be lost forever. After taking more measurements, they found that thermal vacuum testing had caused damage to the infrared sensors. They then adjusted the hardware so those specific components would stay colder during future tests and tests thus far have shown success! However, there is no guarantee that MIRI will always function correctly. The project manager said We’re going to take everything we’ve learned and use it as much as possible. Scientists are hopeful, however: It’s only just begun collecting data; there will be many other opportunities to gather information and make breakthroughs. MIRI could work perfectly, or it could stop working again tomorrow. But one thing is certain: while scientists are still figuring out what went wrong, they already know how to fix it if something goes awry in the future. And with two years left until launch date, plenty of time remains to fully test MIRI and ensure it works properly. It is expected that after the JWST launches, MIRI will observe most of the universe (except planets) without interference from our Earth’s atmosphere. This means MIRI will be able to observe faint objects near the center of our Milky Way galaxy, objects in distant galaxies and beyond, stars forming nearby, even supernova explosions in other galaxies happening long ago. Additionally, MIRI will provide unprecedented observations of planets outside our solar system.
Biggest Challenges for Fixing the MIRI Sensor Problem
One of the biggest challenges in fixing the MIRI sensor problem is figuring out what exactly is causing the problem. In order to do that, scientists need to determine if it is a problem with the hardware, software, or some combination of both. Then they would have to figure out how much it will cost to fix the issue, and how long the fix will take. Scientists also need time so they can make sure that this repair won’t affect any other parts of the telescope. The challenge is finding enough time between now and when launch date comes up in 2021 for these tests and repairs. The JWST has two bays on either side of its main structure, called saddlebags. These saddlebags contain all sorts of testing equipment that could be used to try to diagnose and fix the issue with MIRI. There are also many pieces of test equipment inside the observatory that could be used to simulate space conditions and conduct more tests. However, there is no guarantee that anything found during these experiments would help with the problem at hand. It may not be possible to understand or solve the problem before launch. It might turn out that once the telescope gets into space, the sensors just don’t work as planned because of temperature changes and vibrations from solar winds. If that turns out to be true, NASA may never get an answer about whether MIRI works as intended – which means they may need to design another mission after launching this one in order to find answers. MIRI was designed to observe infrared light in space. Many different types of infrared light are emitted by astronomical objects including stars, planets, galaxies and nebulae. This spectrum is important because it reveals information about celestial objects’ temperatures, physical structures and evolutionary processes. If MIRI doesn’t work as planned then NASA will miss out on data from parts of the universe like galaxy clusters that emit most of their radiation in infrared light (which Hubble cannot see). They will also lose the opportunity to investigate stars and planetary systems in early stages of development. All said, without MIRI, JWST will not be able to produce all of the great science that it was originally supposed to produce. Without MIRI, JWST will only be able to achieve 1/3 of the original goals set out for the project. There’s still a chance that NASA can launch with MIRI but NASA needs to know ASAP what exactly is wrong and how it can be fixed! 1) Biggest Challenges for Fixing the MIRI Sensor Problem:
2) One of the biggest challenges in fixing the MIRI sensor problem is figuring out what exactly is causing the problem. In order to do that, scientists need to determine if it is a problem with the hardware, software, or some combination of both.
3) Then they would have to figure out how much it will cost to fix the issue, and how long the fix will take.
Possible Solutions for the Issues with the JWST MIRI
Some possible solutions to the current issue with the JWST MIRI is for NASA to get help from a European Space Agency partner or have another US agency step in. Another solution is to extend the length of the test period, which would mean that JWST would not launch until 2020. A third option is to limit the scope of observations that can be taken by MIRI. The final option is for NASA to find funds for repair work on MIRI and then try again. While there are several potential paths forward, none are without significant challenges. For example, fixing MIRI will require redesigning and rebuilding the optics. Doing so could take two years or more before getting back to where we were before this issue arose. Other options, such as extending the testing period or exploring other parts of the spectrum might allow us to meet our scientific objectives and still launch in 2018. However, at this point these solutions seem unlikely as they don’t address all of the science goals outlined by our community.
However it goes down, this incident has highlighted how difficult and complicated space missions can be- even those using technologies that have been tested extensively on ground systems. One thing that has become clear is that the longer the timeline, the greater chance of something going wrong. Hopefully lessons learned from this event can inform future projects and provide increased knowledge about telescope technology. It’s also worth noting that as frustrating as this may be for the astronomers who built their careers around observing with JWST, we’re grateful to them because it means our engineers knew exactly what kind of microscope was being used in order to make adjustments. Without the outside input, it would have been much harder to know if the problem was due to faulty software or hardware. And while scientists are frustrated by the delay in launching, delays happen often and usually don’t result in catastrophic consequences. The best way to prevent errors like this one is through better management: project managers should always plan for contingencies like this.
