NASA To Cryogenically Freeze Satellite Mirrors

coondoggie writes "NASA said it will soon move some of the larger (46 lb) mirror segments of its future James Webb Space Telescope into a cryogenic test facility that will freeze the mirrors to -414 degrees Fahrenheit (~25 K). Specifically, NASA will freeze six of the 18 Webb telescope mirror segments at the X-ray and Cryogenic Facility, or XRCF, at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, in a test to ensure the critical mirrors can withstand the extreme space environments. All 18 segments will eventually be tested at the site. The test chamber takes approximately five days to cool a mirror segment to cryogenic temperatures."

Comments

Re:Lets just hope

[Mr. Freeman]

You realize that's impossible, right? 0K (abs. 0) is -273C.

I don't know if you were trying to make a joke or not, but the humor is going to be lost on pretty much anyone that knows anything about chemistry or physics. Furthermore, the unit snafu wasn't NASA, it was Lockheed Martin. NASA just got the blame for it because no one really bothered to actually look up what happened.