NASA’s new SPHEREx space telescope to launch in February — it can do what the JWST can’t

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In late February, if everything is planning, then a new character will enter the NASA saga. It is a white conical probe, which is called SPAREX, which (preparing for the mouth) symbolizes the spectrum scale for the history of the universe, the era of re -ionization and ice exploer. And because it works with infrared light, SPAREX aims to detect things so that the James Web telescope cannot be made to space.

“Take a snapshot with Jwst Sean Domagal Goldan, Acting Director of Astronomical Physics at NASA headquarters, told reporters on January 31, what “both”, “What the Acting Director’s Acting Director at the Astronomical Physics Department at NASA headquarters, could do for reporters. On January 31. You want to capture a large group of people and things behind or around them. “

The launch date is currently on February 27 on the Spacex Falcon 9 – and spherex It will not be the only load. As part of NASA Launching Services Program,, Which connects space missions with appropriate commercial launch vehicles, SPAREX will share its journey with Protcal (Polarimter to unify the Corona and Heliosphere mission), a constellation of four small satellites aimed at studying the sun. The duo will be raised from the 4E launch complex Vandinburg satellite base In the center of California.

“This is the third launch of this reusable supporter, which was previously transferred on the transfer mission 12 on January 14,” said Cesar Marin, SPHEREX Integration Engineer for Launch Services at the Kennedy Space Center in NASA in Florida. To the first stage of Falcon 9. “The supporter will apply his tremendous ability to return again to landing in the fourth area at Vandinburg Space Base at a base after about eight minutes.”

Spherex promise

For two years – unless NASA decides to extend the mission – SPHEREX will set the universe with the discovery of two types of cosmic light: optical and infrared.

The visual light is visible to the human eye, which specializes in many telescopes, including Hubble Space TelescopeWhile infrared light is not visible to us and is closer to the signature of heat. Infrared is the James Webb Space Telescope, which is actually the reason that JWST was very special in showing things to us in the universe that has been hidden for a long time. It is infrared universe that has information about the farthest distance of space, the stars that are born inside the blankets of dust, and the details of the Hungarian structures that show the cosmic equivalent scientists for the new colors.

There were already other infrared eyes on the sky-like a retired now Spitzer Telescope, even Hubble has some capabilities in this field – but nothing corresponds to JWST.

It can be spherex, though (somehow).

In order to be fair, Spherex will not compete with JWST capacity to monitor the very translated areas in the universe that is limited to the infrared section of the electromagnetic spectrum. However, unlike JWST, it is a cubic scan. While JWST is worth $ 10 billion in monitoring things like specific Nebulas and relatively deep -narrow field Full sky As we saw from the earth.

“We literally plan the entire heavenly sky in 102 infrared colors for the first time in the history of humanity, and we will see that it is every six months,” said Nikki Fox, the assistant official of the NASA Directorate of Science Mission. “This is not done before this level of the accuracy of the colors of our old sky maps.”

“In terms of fully cunning scanning tasks” a handful of broad tapes – not this full spectrum. “

PHEREX goals

With regard to what SPHEREX will search for? Well, given that the space telescope will be a large drawing in the sky from its simultaneous orbit of the dawn that keeps it, which keeps it cold enough to study infrared emissions-the list is countless.

For example, but not limited to, scientists want to know many of them Galaxies At different points in their history to enhance our knowledge of the Hungarian development, and they want to look at the empty space between Stars To find out if there is any icy membership around it to follow how life began on Earth.

“The screaming of our team in Osiris Rex in the planetary section,” said Domagal Goldman. “They are taking this story and then telling how to cross our solar system to planets like our house.”

Scientists also hope to capture three-dimensional views of hundreds of millions of galaxies to enhance our understanding of cosmic-theoretical inflation that, after moments of birth, the universe witnessed a great deal of expansion. It was as if the balloon was suddenly inflated.

Book said: “Literally trillion trillion of a billion of a second after the big explosion, the universe that can be noticed by expanding a noticeable expansion,” and expanding trillion trillion times, and expanding this expansion small fluctuations from the atom, to an atom, to an atom, to an atom,, To an atom, huge cosmic scales we see today. “

“We still do not know what caused inflation or why that happened,” he said.

Different space tasks are usually beneficial to each other, but this collaboration seems particularly prevalent here. The most obvious, since JWST is very skillful in infrared imaging, it will be very useful for SPHEREX JWST scientists with full infrared map, so they will know the areas that must be zero. As we mentioned, the Osiris-Rex The task of taking the asteroids (now known as Osiris-Apex after its new asteroid target, is bad reputation ApophisHe also tries to connect the points when it comes to membership scattered across space.

We will also see a major major telescope, Vera Robin ObservatorySee First Light later this year, if things go according to the plan. Robin will also plan giant sections of the sky, despite the different wavelengths – but this means only another candidate of notes to add it to SPAREX Maps.

“There is no one tool, there is no tool, no single task can tell us the full story of the universe,” said Domagal Goldman. “These answers to such big questions, they come from the strength of joint observations from joint observatories.”

SPHEREX Logistics

“SPAREX is a certificate of large science with a small telescope,” Beth Fabinski, Vice -Director of the Project at NASA’s jetting laboratory in southern California.

The team says SPHEREX costs about $ 488 million (except for some upcoming costs) that seem a lot, but they are somewhat modest in terms of pricetags Mission. This is especially true when considering what SPAREX can ultimately offer to scientific textbooks.

Within this budget, the spacecraft was also developed accurately, with attention to many of the main aspects of its structure.

Fabinsky said: “It weighs about 1,100 pounds, so it is just less than the large piano, and it uses about 270-300 watts of energy-less than a refrigerator.” “It produces more energy than it needs to use a thick solar array, very similar to those that you may have on the roof of your home.”

But the most urgent anxiety when it comes to infrared imaging is that the tool that can imagine cannot be exposed to heat because this interferes with the data. “If it is very warm, they will be blinded by their warm glow,” said Fabinsky. However, unfortunately, in space, you will find that there is one of the most important possible things that a spacecraft can be exposed: the sun.

For this reason, the specified SPHEREX orbit was chosen to keep it away from sunlight, and it was discussed for a short period; This was also a large part of the construction and put it in James Web for space. JWST is also located at a designed site to protect it from the warmth of the sun at all times, known as Lagrange Point 2.

“We have three photon’s shields in the form of a cone -cone,” Fabinski said, explaining more about how the team is planned to maintain the appropriate temperatures. “They protect the tool attached to the center of the sun and the Earth’s Earth with three curved panels at the bottom of the beneficial load called V-Group Chaital. It helps to radiate heat away from the warm spacecraft below the load.”

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Once SPAREX is safely in space, it was fully published, and properly paved, the team will start efforts to conduct the first six -month survey of the task. Book said: “The main form of the data version is that we put what we call the caliber spectral images, and those that come within two months of observation,” although he emphasized that there is one specific achievement that was equipped in the expected future:

“I must say that the moment I aspire is as soon as we publish the cover from the telescope and take our first image – it will tell us everything that works as expected.”