James Webb Space Telescope MIRI Instrument Is Incredibly Cold

NASA has offered another insight into the commissioning procedure for the James Webb Space Telescope. For the instruments to operate at peak efficiency they need to be extremely cold. NASA confirmed on April 7 that the Mid-Infrared Instrument, known as MIRI, has reached its final operating temperature.

That temperature is below seven kelvins, equating to -447 degrees Fahrenheit. The instruments have been cooling down since the massive sun shield was deployed. However, for the instrument to reach below seven kelvins does require an electrical cryocooler.

Prior to activating the electric cooler, MIRI only cooled to a temperature of around -298 degrees Fahrenheit. Last week, a crucial point known as the “pinch point” was achieved as the instrument moved from 15 kelvins to 6.4 kelvins.

“The MIRI cooler team has poured a lot of hard work into developing the procedure for the pinch point,” said Analyn Schneider, project manager for MIRI at NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. “The team was both excited and nervous going into the critical activity. In the end it was a textbook execution of the procedure, and the cooler performance is even better than expected.”