Paul Geithner, Deputy Project Manager of the Goddard Space Flight Center of the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), announced that a small piece of rock (micrometeoroid) hit the mirror of the James Webb Space Telescope.
“WE ALWAYS KNEW WE WOULD HAVE TO TEST”
“We always knew that Webb would have to test the space environment, which included harsh ultraviolet light and charged particles from the Sun, cosmic rays from sources in the galaxy, and impacts from micrometeoroids in our Solar system,” Geithner said.
WILL THE BOILER HAVE AN EFFECT ON THE TELESCOPE?
The damage from the dust-sized micrometeoroid caused a noticeable impact on the data, but is not expected to limit the overall performance of the mission. It was emphasized that Webb’s mirror, which is stated to be the most powerful telescope launched into space, is designed to withstand the impact of dust-size particles flying at high speed. (UAV)