Important component for "Hubble" successor completed - derStandard.at

7 September 2013, 11:40 am

Munich – Within a short time we have lost the same number of Space Telescopes: “Kepler”, “COROT” and, initially, “WISE”, which was recently reactivated, however, and given a new task. These three are from the years 2006 to 2009 – ironically holds of all the much older “Hubble” telescope through. Here, the veteran was put into space in 1990 due to technical deficiencies before the off, what are “Hubble” only saved his popularity: Instead of a cut-off finally decided to use more repair missions

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“Hubble” is also used, as his designated successor for a long time will not go as early as panned in use. The “James Webb Space Telescope” (JWST) was originally planned for 2014. 2018 is now considered as the start date, but delays until 2020 or longer are possible.

“Today we see our baby”

An important tool for the JWST, but was now complete: On Friday, the 160 million euros spectrometer, “Near Infrared” (“Near Infrared Spectrograph”) was introduced in Taufkirchen near Munich. Developed by the aerospace company Astrium instrument is about the size of a phone booth, 230 kilos and can capture up to 100 celestial bodies such as stars or galaxies simultaneously.

Astrium CEO Eric Beranger called it at the handover of the European Space Agency ESA, a particular challenge, the spectrometer under normal conditions of operation in microgravity and at minus 235 degrees Celsius to build. “Today we see our baby,” Beranger said to NASA’s representative Eric Smith, who is responsible for the new space telescope. ESA is next to NASA and the Canadian Space Agency CSA one of the three project partners.

It is gradually

The spectrometer is one of four scientific instruments in the future telescope. “Near Infrared” is to work up to ten years in space, as it was said at the presentation. 70 people were involved in development and construction, to completion of the plan passed nine years. Astrium was also involved in the development of a camera with a spectrograph for the mid-infrared range, which should also be installed in the “James Webb” telescope. “MIRI” (Mid-Infrared Instrument) was delivered to NASA as early as 2012.

If the last accessory is completed, the “James Webb” telescope will be placed about 1.5 million kilometers from the sun side facing away from the Earth at the Lagrange point L2 of the Sun-Earth system. All phases of the creation of the universe from the first light after the Big Bang to the formation of planetary systems will be studied with the Infrared Telescope in our Milky Way. (APA / red, derStandard.at, 7, 9, 2013)

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link
Astrium: “Astrium delivers ‘multi-eyed’ spectrograph for the James Webb Space Telescope to ESA”