The James Webb Space Telescope has been providing incredible images of the universe since adjusting its position “perfectly” earlier this year. However, malfunctions can occur even in a 10 billion dollar telescope. According to the latest report from Webb, one of the monitoring mechanisms ran into a problem and engineers are now working on a solution.
In a blog post, NASA announced on Aug. 24 that the mechanism used to support Webb’s medium-resolution spectroscopy (MRS) is experiencing “increased friction.” The space agency called an anomaly investigation board to “consider forward options” and stopped Webb’s observations. The board is working to analyze the problem and develop strategies to resolve it.
Webb’s MRS observing mode is part of the telescope’s Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI), which uses a camera and a spectrograph to see light in the mid-infrared part of the spectrum (wavelengths longer than the human eye can see). MIRI has 4 observation modes: Imaging, coronagraphic imaging, low resolution spectroscopy and medium resolution spectroscopy.
According to NASA, the glitch affected a mechanism that functions like a “grid wheel” for the MRS observing mode, allowing scientists to choose between short, medium, and longer wavelengths when observing using this mode.
This mode has been put on hold for now while NASA tries to fix the issue. “The observatory is in good health and MIRI’s other 3 observation modes – imaging, low-resolution spectroscopy and coronagraph – are operating normally and are available for science observations,” the space agency explained in its blog post. The issue is expected to be resolved in the coming days.
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