Webb Captures First Deep Space Photo
Hello fellow space enthusiasts! So much has happened over my break, and I am so excited to share it with you!
The James Webb Space Telescope has launched, and is now parked in a special orbit around the Earth/Sun. This orbit is called L2, and is a spot where the gravity of Earth and the orbital velocity of the sun cancel out, and it leaves the telescope in a stable state as it follows the Earth.
The telescope has taken the first deep space photo after several months of aligning instruments, despite severe challenges (including being hit by a micrometeoroid) the photo will be released to the public on July 12, 2022 at 8:30 AM MDT
Moving on, Starship has had immense progress. Booster 4, the newest completed booster, will undergo its static fire campaign, meaning it will begin to fire its engines. Several tests will be conducted, until the final test with all 33 raptor engines firing. Meanwhile, the newest ship in the Starship fleet is Ship 24, which has undergone several cryogenic tank tests, will be riding on Booster 7 as the first orbital test of its kind. This will break the records for tallest and most powerful rocket ever launched, even beating the N1 (a soviet equivalent of the Saturn V moon rocket).
After 6+ years of delays, the Boeing Starliner launched and docked aboard the International Space Station. This uncrewed launch demonstrated human flight readiness for this vehicle. Ever since the Space Shuttle was decommissioned, NASA has been trying to get commercial companies to launch astronauts to the International Space Station. Called the Commercial Crew Program, it has two contractors, SpaceX and Boeing. The first launch of the Starliner spacecraft was scheduled in 2016, however after many delays, the capsule finally launched on December 20, 2021. The first crewed test of this vehicle will launch sometime in 2022, although the exact time is unknown.
A recap of the Starliner launch in December
That is all I have for today, thank you for joining me.
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