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Roman’s corrected optics beat its image-quality requirement

NASA’s Roman team reduced the Wide Field Instrument’s optical error to 63 nanometers RMS, against an image-quality requirement of about 90 nanometers RMS. Juice combined its Earth gravity assist with tests of operations during darkness, spending three hours in full shadow and six in partial shadow. Dragon is carrying more than 6,300 pounds of science, supplies, and roll-out solar arrays toward an October 15 docking with the International Space Station.

The field note

2 sources · 4 items
  1. The reported improvement is measurable: 63 nanometers RMS is 30% less optical error than the approximately 90-n…
  2. The two instruments are at different stages: the main instrument has completed this preparation, while the coro…
  3. EAGLE uses two navigation cameras to track a moon’s illuminated edge, refining the spacecraft’s position estima…
Story 011 source

Roman’s corrected optics beat its image-quality requirement

NASA’s Roman team reduced the Wide Field Instrument’s optical error to 63 nanometers RMS, against an image-quality requirement of about 90 nanometers RMS. The team also corrected initially out-of-focus Coronagraph Instrument images, though that instrument still needs further calibration before its light-suppression demonstration. [5]

Why it matters

Sharper images improve the raw material for Roman’s broad cosmic surveys, which are intended to investigate dark matter, dark energy, exoplanets, and distant galaxies. [5]

Key insights

  • The reported improvement is measurable: 63 nanometers RMS is 30% less optical error than the approximately 90-nanometer requirement. [5]
  • The two instruments are at different stages: the main instrument has completed this preparation, while the coronagraph team is still determining settings for its deformable mirrors. [5]
Story 021 source

Juice used Earth’s shadow to rehearse Jupiter operations

Juice combined its Earth gravity assist with tests of operations during darkness, spending three hours in full shadow and six in partial shadow. ESA also exercised its EAGLE autonomous pointing software in flight for the first time, using Earth-Moon geometry to stand in for Jupiter and Io; those results will be analyzed in the coming months. [3]

Why it matters

Juice will need to conduct science through long periods of darkness at Jupiter and keep instruments accurately pointed during close moon flybys. This encounter provided a rehearsal years before arrival rather than leaving those operational strategies untested until then. [3]

Key insights

  • EAGLE uses two navigation cameras to track a moon’s illuminated edge, refining the spacecraft’s position estimate and keeping observations on target. [3]
  • Darkness also created an observing opportunity: blocking the Sun temporarily eased the pointing restrictions imposed by Juice’s hot cruise environment. [3]
Story 032 sources

Dragon carries the final arrays for the station’s power upgrade

Dragon is carrying more than 6,300 pounds of science, supplies, and roll-out solar arrays toward an October 15 docking with the International Space Station. NASA plans for Anil Menon and Joshua Kutryk to install the seventh and eighth arrays during October 29 and November 5 spacewalks, completing an upgrade expected to raise generating capacity from 160 to approximately 215 kilowatts. [7][9]

Why it matters

The additional electricity will support station operations, including its safe and controlled deorbit. The same delivery also carries research hardware for work on artificial retinas and growing heart tissues in weightlessness. [7][9]

Key insights

  • Delivery does not itself add power: the arrays travel in Dragon’s unpressurized trunk and require installation and activation on the station’s truss. [9]
  • The final two arrays are assigned to the 2A and 3B electrical channels; the November installation would complete the eight-array augmentation. [7]

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