Iinjineli zenza “ukwamkelwa” kwesixhobo se-James Webb Space Telescope esiphakathi kwe-infrared kwi-NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center emva kokumka e-UK.
Iingcali zeenqwelo moya zeJPL uJohnny Melendez (ekunene) kunye noJoe Mora bahlola i-MIRI cryocooler ngaphambi kokuba bayithumele eNorthrop Grumman eRedondo Beach, eCalifornia. Apho, i-cooler inamathele emzimbeni weteleskopu yeWebb.
Le nxalenye yesixhobo seMIRI, esibonwe kwiAppleton Laboratory eRutherford, e-UK, iqulethe izixhobo zokubona i-infrared. I-cryocooler ikude nesixhobo sokubona i-infrared kuba isebenza kubushushu obuphezulu. Ityhubhu ephethe i-helium ebandayo idibanisa la macandelo mabini.
UMIRI (ekhohlo) uhleli phezu komqadi wokulinganisela eNorthrop Grumman eRedondo Beach njengoko iinjineli zilungiselela ukusebenzisa i-overhead crane ukuyincamathisela kwi-Integrated Scientific Instrument Module (ISIM). I-ISIM yintloko kaWebb, izixhobo ezine zesayensi ezigcina iteleskopu.
Ngaphambi kokuba isixhobo se-MIRI — esinye sezixhobo zesayensi ezine ezikwindawo yokujonga — sisebenze, kufuneka sipholiswe phantse kubushushu obuphantsi obunokufikelela kubo bonke.
I-NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, ecwangciselwe ukuqaliswa ngoDisemba 24, yeyona ndawo yokujongisisa isibhakabhaka inkulu kwimbali, kwaye inomsebenzi onzima ngokulinganayo: ukuqokelela ukukhanya kwe-infrared kwiikona ezikude zendalo, okuvumela izazinzulu ukuba ziphonononge ulwakhiwo kunye nemvelaphi yendalo. Indalo yethu kunye nendawo yethu kuyo.
Izinto ezininzi zendalo yonke — kuquka iinkwenkwezi neeplanethi, kunye negesi nothuli ezivela kuzo — zikhupha ukukhanya kwe-infrared, ngamanye amaxesha okubizwa ngokuba yi-thermal radiation. Kodwa ke kunjalo nakwezinye izinto ezifudumeleyo, ezifana nee-toaster, abantu, kunye ne-elektroniki. Oko kuthetha ukuba izixhobo ezine ze-infrared zikaWebb zinokubona ukukhanya kwazo kwe-infrared. Ukunciphisa oku kukhupha, isixhobo kufuneka sibanda kakhulu — malunga ne-40 Kelvin, okanye i-minus 388 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 233 degrees Celsius). Kodwa ukuze zisebenze kakuhle, izixhobo zokubona ngaphakathi kwesixhobo se-middle-infrared, okanye i-MIRI, kufuneka zibanda ngakumbi: ngaphantsi kwe-7 Kelvin (minus 448 degrees Fahrenheit, okanye minus 266 degrees Celsius).
Oko kungaphezulu nje kwe-absolute zero (0 Kelvin) – ubushushu obubanda kakhulu ngokwethiyori, nangona bungenakufikeleleka ngokoqobo kuba bumele ukungabikho kobushushu ngokupheleleyo. (Nangona kunjalo, i-MIRI ayisosixhobo somfanekiso esibanda kakhulu esisebenza esibhakabhakeni.)
Ubushushu ngokuyintloko bumlinganiselo wendlela iiathom ezihamba ngayo ngokukhawuleza, kwaye ukongeza ekufumaneni ukukhanya kwazo kwe-infrared, ii-Webb detectors zinokubangelwa kukungcangcazela kwazo kobushushu. I-MIRI ibona ukukhanya kuluhlu lwamandla aphantsi kunezinye izixhobo ezintathu. Ngenxa yoko, ii-detectors zayo zinovelwano ngakumbi kukungcangcazela kobushushu. Ezi zibonakaliso ezingafunekiyo zizinto izazi zeenkwenkwezi ezizibiza ngokuba “yingxolo,” kwaye zinokugqitha imiqondiso ebuthathaka iWebb ezama ukuyifumana.
Emva kokuqaliswa, uWebb uza kusebenzisa i-visor elingana nenkundla yetenisi ekhusela i-MIRI nezinye izixhobo kwilanga, nto leyo eza kuzivumela ukuba ziphole kancinci. Ukuqala malunga neentsuku ezingama-77 emva kokuqaliswa, i-cryocooler ye-MIRI iza kuthatha iintsuku ezili-19 ukunciphisa ubushushu bezixhobo zokubona izixhobo bube ngaphantsi kwe-7 Kelvin.
“Kulula kakhulu ukupholisa izinto ukuya kutsho kuloo bushushu eMhlabeni, rhoqo kwiindlela zesayensi okanye zemizi-mveliso,” utshilo uKonstantin Penanen, ingcali ye-cryocooler kwi-NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory eSouthern California. , elawula isixhobo se-MIRI se-NASA.”Kodwa ezo nkqubo zisekelwe eMhlabeni zinkulu kakhulu kwaye azisebenzisi kakuhle amandla. Kwindawo yokujonga isithuba, sidinga indawo epholileyo exineneyo ngokwasemzimbeni, egcina amandla kakuhle, kwaye kufuneka ithembeke kakhulu kuba asinakukwazi ukuphuma siyilungise. Ngoko ke le yimingeni esijongene nayo. , kuloo nto, ndingathi ii-cryocooler ze-MIRI ngokuqinisekileyo ziphambili.”
Enye yeenjongo zesayensi zikaWebb kukufunda iimpawu zeenkwenkwezi zokuqala ezavela kwindalo iphela. Ikhamera yeWebb ekufutshane ne-infrared okanye isixhobo seNIRCam siya kukwazi ukubona ezi zinto zikude kakhulu, kwaye iMIRI iya kunceda izazinzulu ziqinisekise ukuba le mithombo yokukhanya incinci ngamaqela eenkwenkwezi zesizukulwana sokuqala, kunokuba ibe ziinkwenkwezi zesizukulwana sesibini ezavela kamva kwindalo yegalaksi.
Ngokujonga amafu othuli atyebileyo kunezixhobo ezikufutshane ne-infrared, i-MIRI iza kutyhila iindawo zokuzalwa kweenkwenkwezi. Iya kukwafumanisa iimolekyuli ezifumaneka rhoqo eMhlabeni - ezinje ngamanzi, i-carbon dioxide kunye ne-methane, kunye neemolekyuli zeeminerali ezinamatye ezifana nee-silicates - kwiindawo ezipholileyo ezijikeleze iinkwenkwezi ezikufutshane, apho iiplanethi zinokuvela khona. Izixhobo ezikufutshane ne-infrared zingcono ekufumaneni ezi molekyuli njengomphunga kwiindawo ezishushu, ngelixa i-MIRI inokuzibona njengomkhenkce.
“Ngokudibanisa ubuchule baseMelika naseYurophu, siye saphuhlisa i-MIRI njengamandla eWebb, aza kwenza ukuba izazi ngeenkwenkwezi ezivela kwihlabathi liphela ziphendule imibuzo emikhulu malunga nendlela iinkwenkwezi, iiplanethi kunye neegalaksi ezibumbeka ngayo kwaye ziguquke ngayo,” utshilo uGillian Wright, inkokheli yeqela lesayensi le-MIRI kunye noMphandi oyiNtloko waseYurophu wesixhobo kwiZiko leTekhnoloji yeenkwenkwezi lase-UK (i-UK ATC).
I-MIRI cryocooler isebenzisa igesi ye-helium—eyaneleyo ukuzalisa malunga neebhaluni ezilithoba—ukuthwala ubushushu busuke kwizixhobo zokufumanisa izixhobo. Iicompressor ezimbini zombane zimpompa i-helium ngetyhubhu efikelela apho ikhoyo i-detector. Ityhubhu ihamba ngebhloko yesinyithi ekwanamathele kwisixhobo sokufumanisa; i-helium epholileyo ifunxa ubushushu obugqithisileyo kwibhloko, igcina ubushushu bokusebenza besixhobo sokufumanisa bungaphantsi kwe-7 Kelvin. Igesi eshushu (kodwa isabanda) ibuyela kwi-compressor, apho ikhupha khona ubushushu obugqithisileyo, kwaye umjikelo uqala kwakhona. Ngokwesiseko, inkqubo ifana naleyo isetyenziswa kwiifriji zasekhaya nakwii-air conditioner.
Iipayipi ezithwala i-helium zenziwe ngentsimbi engagqwaliyo egqunywe ngegolide kwaye zingaphantsi kwesiqingatha se-intshi (2.5 mm) ububanzi. Zifikelela malunga neenyawo ezili-10 (iimitha ezili-10) ukusuka kwi-compressor ekwindawo yebhasi ye-spacecraft ukuya kwi-MIRI detector kwi-optical telescope element ekwi-observatory's primary mirror. I-Hardware ebizwa ngokuba yi-deployable tower assembly, okanye i-DTA, idibanisa ezi ndawo zimbini. Xa zipakishwe ukuze ziqalise, i-DTA iyacinezelwa, njenge-piston, ukunceda ukufaka i-observatory ebekwe kwindawo yokukhusela phezu kwerokhethi. Nje ukuba ifike esithubeni, inqaba iya kwanda ukuze yahlule i-spacecraft bus yobushushu begumbi kwizixhobo ze-optical telescope ezipholileyo kwaye ivumele i-sunshade kunye ne-telescope ukuba zisebenze ngokupheleleyo.
Olu phawu lubonisa ukwenziwa okufanelekileyo kokusetyenziswa kweJames Webb Space Telescope iiyure kunye neentsuku emva kokuqaliswa. Ukwandiswa kwendibano yenqaba ephakathi kuya kwandisa umgama phakathi kwamacandelo amabini e-MIRI. Ziqhagamshelwe ngeetyhubhu zehelical ezine-helium epholileyo.
Kodwa inkqubo yokwandiswa ifuna ukuba ityhubhu ye-helium yolulwe ngendibano yenqaba enokukhuliswa. Ngoko ke ityhubhu ijijeka njengentwasahlobo, yiyo loo nto iinjineli ze-MIRI zayibiza le nxalenye yetyhubhu ngokuthi “Slinky”.
“Kukho imingeni ethile ekusebenzeni kwinkqubo egubungela iindawo ezininzi ze-observatory,” utshilo u-Analyn Schneider, umphathi wenkqubo ye-JPL MIRI. “Ezi ndawo zahlukeneyo zikhokelwa yimibutho okanye amaziko ahlukeneyo, kuquka iNorthrop Grumman kunye ne-US NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, kufuneka sithethe nomntu wonke. Akukho zixhobo zimbi kwiteleskopu ekufuneka zenze loo nto, ngoko ke ngumceli mngeni okhethekileyo kwi-MIRI. Ngokuqinisekileyo ibingumgca omde wendlela ye-MIRI cryocoolers, kwaye sikulungele ukuyibona esibhakabhakeni.”
I-James Webb Space Telescope iza kuqaliswa ngo-2021 njenge-observatory yesayensi yesithuba ephambili kwihlabathi. I-Webb iza kutyhila iimfihlakalo zenkqubo yethu yelanga, ijonge kwihlabathi elikude elijikeleze ezinye iinkwenkwezi, kwaye ihlole izakhiwo ezingaqondakaliyo kunye nemvelaphi yendalo yonke kunye nendawo yethu. I-Webb liphulo lamazwe ngamazwe elikhokelwa yi-NASA kunye namaqabane ayo i-ESA (i-European Space Agency) kunye ne-Canadian Space Agency.
I-MIRI yaphuhliswa ngokusebenzisa ubudlelwane be-50-50 phakathi kwe-NASA kunye ne-ESA (i-European Space Agency). I-JPL ikhokela umzamo wase-US we-MIRI, kwaye iqela lezizwe ngezizwe lamaziko eenkwenkwezi aseYurophu linegalelo kwi-ESA. UGeorge Rieke weYunivesithi yase-Arizona yinkokeli yeqela lezesayensi lase-US le-MIRI. UGillian Wright yintloko yeqela lezesayensi laseYurophu le-MIRI.
U-Alistair Glasse we-ATC, e-UK yi-MIRI Instrument Scientist kwaye uMichael Ressler yi-US Project Scientist kwi-JPL. ULaszlo Tamas we-UK yi-ATC ephethe i-European Union. Uphuhliso lwe-MIRI cryocooler lukhokelwa kwaye lulawulwa yi-JPL ngentsebenziswano ne-NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center eGreenbelt, eMaryland, kunye neNorthrop Grumman eRedondo Beach, eCalifornia.