NASA's $10 Billion Webb Space Telescope Struck by Micrometeoroid

SciTechDaily.com ^ | 08 June 2022 | Thaddeus Cesari - NASA

[zeestephen]

These tiny meteoroids typically weigh less than a gram, yet they still pose a significant threat to spacecraft because their average speed...is a staggering 22,500 mph...After initial assessments, the team found the telescope is still performing at a level that exceeds all mission requirements despite a marginally detectable effect in the data.

[zeestephen]

NASA:

"Since launch, we have had four smaller measurable micrometeoroid strikes that were consistent with expectations and this one more recently that is larger than our degradation predictions assumed."

[sasquatch]

‘spensive target.

[SkyDancer]

Where are the pictures?

[cgbg]

You gotta wonder what happens when one of those things passes through the human body....

I guess we are going to have to let the astronauts be the guinea pigs—sorta like the current “scientific” approach to vaccines.

[alancarp]

Safelite repair; Safelite replace.

[KobraKai]

Now that it’s in orbit, NASA should be able to send up an armor package. I mean, why wouldn’t you?

[zeestephen]

The first photos will be released on July 12.

[TexasGator]

“because their average speed...is a staggering 22,500 mph.”

one-third the velocity of the telescope.

[lurk]

11 X faster than a .270 bullet. Good thing it didn’t hit something important.

[SkyDancer]

Will be watching for them.

[Libloather]

That’ll buff right out.

[GotMojo]

micrometeoroid.....is that like a dingleberry?

[The Free Engineer]

It’s not in orbit around the Earth.

It’s in orbit around the Sun and flying formation with the Earth at the Earth’s L2 point about 1 million miles away.

So it is not serviceable.

[fidelis]

[DoodleBob]

This is EXACTLY why I am highly skeptical that "aliens" are actual organically-derived life forms from outside our solar system.

Can you imagine the kind of damage a microasteroid would do to a spacecraft cruising at light-speed? And compound that likelihood across scores of light years over many years/decades.

Aliens are real. They're just not what many people think they are.

[zeestephen]

Since the telescope has its back to the sun, I assume the mirror will be working 24-7 until the electronics "die" from old age.

Cannot protect the mirror and capture images at the same time.

[1Old Pro]

micrometeoroid.....is that like a dingleberry?

NOPE, The telescope is no where near Uranus.

[COBOL2Java]

I guess we are going to have to let the astronauts be the guinea pigs—sorta like the current “scientific” approach to vaccines.

The movie "Gravity" covered the danger of debris in space. Good movie

[reed13k]

I’m always suprised that this doesn’t happen more often given all the clouds we go through on a regular basis - like the Persides.

[BBQToadRibs2]