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The European Space Agency announced Tuesday that scientists are trying to melt a thin layer of ice that is increasingly clouding the view of the “dark space detective” space telescope Euclid.
This is the latest of several technical setbacks for the wide-eye telescope, which was launched into space in July with a mission to map a third of the sky.
By doing so, ESA hopes that Euclid will further elucidate the nature of dark matter and dark energy, which are thought to make up 95 percent of the universe but remain shrouded in mystery.
Ralph Corey, operations scientist for the Euclid instrument, told AFP that during an inspection in November, the team on the ground first noticed a small loss of light entering the telescope’s visible-light imager. It is said that
After looking closely at the data, the researchers believe the problem is a layer of ice (likely the width of a DNA strand) building up on the telescope’s optical surface.
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“That’s a big problem,” Corey acknowledged.
But researchers are working on it, Corey said, adding that he has no doubt that Euclid can accomplish its mission.
Preventing water ingress is a common problem for all spacecraft.
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Despite our best efforts on the ground, trace amounts of moisture absorbed during spacecraft assembly on Earth can be smuggled into space.
When faced with the cold, vastness of space, water molecules freeze to the first surface possible. In this case, some may have landed in Euclid’s mirror.
Immediately after the telescope’s launch, scientists used onboard heaters to heat everything inside the spacecraft in hopes of blowing away any potential water.
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This may be possible again.
“But heating everything up is very destructive to the mission,” Corey said.
Most materials expand with heat, so careful readjustment is required to warm the entire spacecraft.
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Corey said it will take at least a month for the telescope to be able to see the sky again.
So last week, ESA began heating just two of the telescope’s mirrors, raising the temperature to the point where it hopes the ice will melt.
This “minimally invasive” partial warming will continue through Thursday, Coley said.
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Scientists may not know whether it works until mid-April.
Part of the problem is that scientists don’t know exactly where the ice is accumulating or how much there is.
And even if scientists succeed in melting the ice, Corey warned that it could grow back over time.
If the partial warming plan fails, ESA will need to heat the entire spacecraft.
Corey said if the team had to do this every year during the telescope’s planned six-year mission, there could be a six-month delay.
“But that’s all speculation,” he said.
“For now, we’ll have to wait and see and hope we can solve this problem in a more elegant way.”
This is not Euclid’s first problem.
Previously, cosmic rays disrupted the spacecraft’s precision guidance sensors, requiring complex software updates.
Unwanted sunlight also interfered with observations, but the problem was resolved by slightly rotating the telescope, Corey said.
But nothing can be done about particularly strong solar flares that occasionally project X-ray images onto visible imagers.
Euclid, which ESA calls the “Dark Space Detective,” officially launched its investigation last month.
The first images released in November revealed a colorful swirling galaxy in distant space.
DL/AC
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