The most powerful telescope ever launched has reached its final destination in space, but it still has a long to-do list before it can start doing science, Lisa Grossman reported in “James Webb telescope gets in position” (SN: 2/26/22, p. 10).
Reader Elizabeth McDowell wondered if the telescope is protected against solar storms.
During a solar storm, the sun spews radiation and charged particles, which could potentially damage the James Webb Space Telescope's electronics. While the telescope won't be able to maneuver away from such emissions, it has enough metal shielding to protect those components, says Paul Geithner, the deputy project manager for the telescopes technical side at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.
Solar storms could cause static charges to build up on the surfaces of the telescope, Geithner says, leading to sudden discharges that can harm the electronics. To protect against this concern, all of the telescope's surfaces, including the five-layer sunshield, are grounded, he says.
My question is, how do you electrically ground a satellite that is in orbit?
Searching via Duck, Duck, Go does not yield the answer.
Does this make sense? I'm not saying it doesn't - I'm really
asking the question. But rest assured
both of these people
will have a very hard time obtaining a decent job if they are
convicted of a felony.
Webster, TX is very close to Houston, TX, the 4th largest city in
the USA. I was a bit surprised this
is considered a major
drug bust. It is nice that this criminal activity was
discovered.
I did a search of the Harris County Criminal Court records and
updated information is not available,
probably because the
records are confidential.