Largest space telescope is about to take off – Swiss technology helps explore the early universe

Towards the end of the year, the James Webb Space Telescope is set to begin its journey into space to solve mysteries from the early days of the universe and uncover the mysteries of the origin of life. Swiss technology flies with you.

With the Big Bang 13.8 billion years ago, an unimaginable amount of energy, compressed into the smallest spaces, created the universe. The new space observatory will provide a glimpse into the prehistoric times of the universe, billions of years in time, when the first stars illuminated space and galaxies were born.

Astronomers are eagerly awaiting the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope, which has been postponed several times. “The mission will take the whole of astronomy a step forward, if not revolutionize it,” astrophysicist Adrian Glauser of ETH Zurich said in an interview with Keystone-SDA.

huge mirror

The successor to the Hubble Telescope is scheduled to leave the spaceport of Kourou in French Guiana aboard the Ariane 5 launch pad on October 31 at the earliest. Its destination is 1.5 million kilometers into space, where Webb orbits the sun with the Earth.

The center of the telescope is a 25-square-meter extendable mirror, cooled to about minus 220 degrees behind a massive sunshield the size of a tennis court. The mirror can detect the faint light of galaxies, distant stars, and planetary systems shrouded in dust, with a sensitivity 100 times higher than that of Hubble. Because unlike its predecessor, which takes pictures in the optical and ultraviolet frequency spectrum, Webb will work in the infrared range.

The coldest machine with a Swiss signature

There will be four science instruments on board, which will be fed by the light captured by the giant mirror. Swiss researchers led by Adrian Glauser played a key role in the instrument called MIRI (Intermediate Infrared Instrument), which will work in the mid-infrared spectrum.

MIRI needs cooler temperatures than other devices, which is minus 266 degrees, ETH astrophysicist explained. Such extreme conditions require sophisticated technologies.

Accurate test

For example, researchers working with Glauser have developed a mechanism that reliably locks the instrument during the cooling phase under these extreme conditions in order to protect it from contamination. After this stage, the protective capsule developed by the Ruag technology group must be opened again. “If the opening and closing mechanism fails, you lose the tool,” Glauser said.

But reliability is everything and the end of it all in such a task, which is why the team put the mechanism in its stride, in a cold room and on vibrating tables. However, the astrophysicist says, “There is always danger left.”

In addition, in cooperation with Syderal, the researchers have developed the so-called cryogenic cables, which are supposed to transfer as little heat as possible from the electronics to the device.

Unobstructed view of the outer planets

According to Glauser, the astronomical MIRI instrument will not only capture light from distant stars and early galaxies, but will also be particularly valuable for discovering and characterizing exoplanets. “With basic technology, it is possible to turn off the light from the stars, so that the vision of the planets is revealed,” he explained.

However, finding Earth-like planets that contain liquid water and orbit their star in a habitable zone is not the main goal of the mission. Because for that you need a mirror larger than the “web” mirror.

On the path to the origin of life

In contrast, MIRI is supposed to track organic molecules in the protoplanetary disks, the birthplace of the outer planets. “This will help us confirm or reject some assumptions about the origin and building blocks of life,” said the astrophysicist.

Glauser explained that before the tools worked independently, most calls were first controlled from the ground. After commissioning the space telescope at the Mission Operations Center in Baltimore (USA), the first six months of the new observatory in space will follow with Eagle Eyes.

The Webb mission is a collaboration between the European Space Agency (ESA), the US space agency NASA and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA).

SDA / primary

Publication date: 06/01/2021, 11:30 p.m.

Found an error?Report now.