NASA spent 20 years and invested a huge amount of money to finally successfully send the James Webb Space Telescope into space and move towards the solar orbit. It is expected to spend ten years searching for life in the universe. JWST is about to unveil the mystery of the vast starry sky.
Washington, D.C. (Merxwire) – This Christmas, mankind sent a space gift package to the universe, costing NASA 20 years and spending nearly 10 billion US dollars to build the James Webb Space Telescope in French Guiana on the morning of the 25th Eastern Time. Successfully ascended into space and began a 10-year journey. The main task is to observe the initial phenomena of the universe after the Big Bang and to search for life bodies in the outer space universe.
JWST has been developing since 1996. It was originally planned to set off to explore space in 2007. It was launched on Christmas Day (25th). The destination of this space travel is in the orbit of the sun 1.6 million kilometers away from the earth: -The second Lagrangian point of the Earth system, trying to find signs of life born in the dust and fog after the Big Bang 13.7 billion years ago, or related elements that sustain life, such as oxygen and water.
Currently, astronomers generally believe that the universe was born 13.8 billion years ago as a result of the initial big bang, and then many galaxies were created, and the earth was also born here at 4.54 billion. But over time, the universe continued to expand, gradually pushing the originally born galaxies away from the earth, including the earliest born galaxies. After reaching the telescopes of terrestrial astronomers over tens of billions of years, the radiation from these distant galaxies is not only very weak but also difficult to observe.
To further explore the mysteries of the universe, NASA will load 18 gold-plated hexagonal mirrors, advanced temperature controllers, and JWST sensitive to infrared or thermal radiation into space to observe the infrared wavelengths emitted by distant galaxies up close. Scientists say that the Hubble Telescope is currently can only stare at the universe 13.4 billion years ago, while JWST can see farther, and is expected to see 13.7 billion years ago. Scientists believe that the difference of 300 million years in between may be able to discover the secret of the origin of species.
Lagrangian point is the destination of this JWST journey, where it can maintain a stable and balanced operation. But before arriving, JWST had to go through six months of the crisis, including deploying 18 gold-plated mirrors and deploying 5 layers of Kapton heat shields to dissipate heat and maintain low temperatures. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson stated that no errors are allowed in the process, because JWST is too far away from the earth for astronauts to reach, and if there is a part failure, it will be irreparable. If all goes well, we are expected to see the first photos of JWST results by the end of June 2022.
Nikole Lewis, deputy director of Cornell University Carl Sagan Institute, expressed his amazement, believing that JWST can see visions that have not been seen before and will provide the world with a whole new look at the universe.
Scientists hope that the new clues brought back by JWST can help mankind better understand the origin of the universe and galaxies, unveil the mystery of the universe, and welcome the new era of universe exploration.