The James Webb Space Telescope is one step closer to probing the depths of the universe. On Wednesday, NASA announced that it was ready to start taking test images and aligning the optics of the JWST after the telescope’s instrumentation reached its final operating temperature of minus 448 degrees Fahrenheit (or minus 267 degrees Celsius) partway through last week.
Cool news! Webb’s MIRI instrument recently passed through its critical “pinch point” and cooled to just a few kelvins above absolute zero, which is the coldest you can go: https://t.co/jjE7xTal0O
Wondering why MIRI is extremely chill? Thread ❄️ pic.twitter.com/a9l7lcZ645
— NASA Webb Telescope (@NASAWebb) April 13, 2022
The JWST has been gradually cooling down ever since its successful December 25th launch, but the telescope took a major step forward on that front when it deployed its massive 70-foot sunshield at the start of the year. That component allowed JWST’s systems, including its critical Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI), to drop to a temperature of approximately minus 298 degrees Fahrenheit (or about minus 183 degrees Celsius).
Getting the JWST to its final operating temperature required NASA and the European Space Agency to activate the telescope’s electric “cryocooler.” That in itself involved passing a technical hurdle dubbed the “pinch point,” or the stage at which the James Webb’s instruments went from minus 433 degrees Fahrenheit to minus 448 Fahrenheit.
“The MIRI cooler team has poured a lot of hard work into developing the procedure for the pinch point,” said Analyn Schneider, MIRI project manager for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. “The team was both excited and nervous going into the critical activity. In the end, it was a textbook execution of the procedure, and the cooler performance is even better than expected.”
Part of the reason the James Webb needs to be so cold before it can begin its mission is so that its electronics generate the least amount of infrared light possible and are thereby less likely to interfere with its instruments when astronomers turn them toward distant cosmic bodies. The cold temperatures are also required to avoid something called “dark current,” an electrical force that’s generated when the atoms in the telescope’s detectors vibrate. That movement can create false signals that make it more difficult for the telescope to get an accurate picture of a celestial body.
To celebrate the release of James Bond 25, No Time to Die, we’ve rounded up the 20 most wonderfully ridiculous Bond gadgets of all time from the franchise.
Emerging Tech | Digital Trends
The new James Bond flick, No Time to Die, may be getting delayed by a few months to avoid coronavirus problems, but that’s not going to stop the marketing hype around it. Nokia is leaning heavily into this film, both to promote some of its existing phones and to show off some new things, which […]
Come comment on this article: Nokia will show off its first 5G phone in a new James Bond commercial
Like something out of a James Bond movie, Scubalec is a new Kickstarter crowdfunding project for a handheld, arm-mounted personal jet drive, designed to propel intrepid users through the water.
The post Arm-mounted underwater jet drive looks like it came from a James Bond movie appeared first on Digital Trends.
The last few stabs at The Terminator movies haven't gone so well, to put it mildly — you're more likely to have enjoyed the video game tie-ins. And that may well be due to the absence of James Cameron, who sold his rights back in 1984 and hasn't tou…
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Up to anything special tonight? No? Well, how about bringing a multi-talented producer and two of Britain’s fastest-rising DJs home for a live performance?
Tonight, the dynamic DJ duo Disclosure will unite forces with powerhouse producer James Corden for the next American Express Unstaged concert on YouTube. That’s right—the actor, writer and television host you know from his work on hit comedy shows “Gavin and Stacey” and the “The Late Late Show” (which hit 1 million subscribers on YouTube last week) will tonight put his own theatrical twist on the show.
In the last twelve months alone, British brothers Disclosure have garnered more than 222 million views on YouTube since last September, and have just released their new album, “Caracal,” which features Lorde, Miguel, The Weeknd, Gregory Porter, and Sam Smith. Taking place at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena just days after the release of “Caracal,” this will be the first time that fans all over the world can hear new tracks performed live.
As a quick warm-up, check out Corden interviewing the band and create your own digital “Disclosure Face” in the Unstaged app. Be sure to leave time to prep your glow sticks, though, as the live stream will start at 9 p.m. PT at youtube.com/americanexpress, youtube.com/user/DisclosureVEVO, amexunstaged.com, or the Unstaged app.
Nicola Young, Music Programs Manager, recently watched “Slaves – Burning Our Morals Away.”