On July 12th, the first science images from the James Webb Space Telescope will be released. Before full science operations begin, each of the four instruments has to be checked in its various modes to make sure it is ready to collect data. NASA has announced that the Mid-Infrared instrument is ready to be used for science.
MIRI operates in the mid-Infrared range, which means it has some quirks. The last instrument to reach its operating temperature was the one with the low temperature Silicon detectors. The MIRI instrument has a cooler and a heater that it uses to control its temperature. In April this year, MIRI reached its operating temperature, and since then it has been through an extensive calibration process, and engineers have confirmed that all of its modes are ready to go.
"We are thrilled that MIRI is now a functioning, state-of-the-art instrument with performances across all its capabilities better than expected," said MIRI European principal investigator and science lead George Rieke. The multinational commission team has done a great job getting MIRI ready in a short period of time. The people, scientists, engineers, managers, national agencies, and NASA who made this instrument a reality are now celebrated.
NASA has a tracker on its website that you can use to track the progress of James Webb. The coronagraphy mode of the NIRCam instrument is the last one that needs to be signed off before it can be used for science. It will be ready for science operations once this is done, and will look at exoplanet atmospheres, find some of the earliest galaxies in the universe, and more.
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