The Webb Space Telescope’s new look at space…
The technology used to fine-tune Webb improves the vision of millions of people on Earth…
And a new climate study is headed to the space station… a few of the stories to tell you about – This Week in NASA!
The Webb Space Telescope’s new look at space
“It’s a new window into the history of our universe.” – POTUS
On July 11, President Joe Biden released the first full-color image from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope during a public event at the White House in Washington. The image, known as Webb’s First Deep Field, reveals thousands of galaxies in a part of the sky so small it’s the size of a grain of sand held at arm’s length by a person on the ground.
“Every part of this mission is a partnership…”
The next day, in collaboration with our partners at the European Space Agency, the Canadian Space Agency and the Space Telescope Science Institute, we released the full set of Webb’s first full-color images and spectroscopic data. The new observations reveal a collection of previously hidden cosmic features. These include the clear signature of water on a planet outside our solar system that has not been detected by previous studies of that planet, the earliest rapid phases of star formation in the Carina Nebula, never-before-seen details about a cluster of galaxies that may help us better understand well galactic mergers and interactions and a second dying star brought into full view for the first time by Webb’s new infrared look at a planetary nebula about 2,000 light-years away. These first images marked the beginning of the telescope’s science operations. Astronomers will now have the chance to use Webb’s power to observe everything from objects in our solar system to activity from the earliest history of the universe.
“Now we’re going to be defining things that we don’t even know what the questions are to ask. So this is one of those great feats of engineering—not just for us, but for humanity.” – Bill Nelson, NASA Administrator
Johnson & Johnson’s iDesign Refractive Studio, pictured here, takes precise eye measurements that map the visual pathways and curvature of the cornea to help doctors diagnose and plan treatment for eye problems. Credit: Johnson & Johnson Vision
NASA’s Webb Telescope Mirror Technology Increases Precision in Eye Surgery
Meanwhile, some NASA-developed technologies used during the construction of the Webb Space Telescope to measure deviations in its mirrors are leading to significant improvements in LASIK laser eye surgery and helping to improve the vision of millions of people on Earth. The medical company Johnson & Johnson has incorporated the technology into a device that takes precise eye measurements to map imperfections in the visual pathways and curvature of the cornea. NASA has a long history of transferring technology to the private sector. Learn more about our efforts to bring space technology to Earth at spinoff.nasa.gov.
When strong winds on one continent stir mineral rock dust (such as calcite or chlorite), the airborne particles can travel thousands of kilometers to affect completely different continents. Dust in the air can heat or cool the atmosphere and the Earth’s surface. This heating or cooling effect is the focus of NASA’s Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source (EMIT) mission. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
A new climate probe has launched to the space station
On July 14, a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft blasted off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida with more than 5,800 pounds of cargo for the crew aboard the International Space Station. The payload includes a new NASA climate study called the Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Study, or EMIT. This research can help us learn more about the composition of mineral dust carried through the atmosphere from deserts and its effects on our climate.
In this concept illustration of a Mars sample return mission, a lander carrying a retrieval rover touches down on the surface of Mars. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Perseverance Scouts Landing sites for Mars Sample return
Our Perseverance rover is still conducting its science campaign. The rover recently collected its tenth rock core sample in the ancient delta of the Jezero Crater River. But the rover is also surveying sites where a future Mars Sample Return Campaign could land spacecraft, collect the sample tubes left behind by Perseverance, and return rock and soil samples to Earth for study. The sites under study were considered for their proximity to the delta and to each other, as well as their relatively flat terrain suitable for landing.
Here’s what’s happening this week @NASA
Add Comment