--- title: "Door Is Jammed on Expensive Space Telescope, Blocking Its View of Space" description: "One of the aperture doors covering one of the XRISM space telescope's particle-detecting instrument called Resolve has remained jammed." date: "2024-06-12" modified: "2024-06-12" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/door-jammed-xrism-space-telescope" categories: - "Off-World" - "Space" tags: - "Chandra X-ray Observatory" - "JAXA" - "NASA" - "the digest" - "xrism" --- # Door Is Jammed on Expensive Space Telescope, Blocking Its View of Space ![One of the aperture doors covering one of the XRISM space telescope's particle-detecting instrument called Resolve has remained jammed.]() *\Image: JAXA\* ## Pod Bay Door Astronomers are excited to glean new insights into the formation of the universe and dark matter with the help of a space telescope called the X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission (XRISM), a partnership between the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and NASA. The telescope was successfully launched in September 2023. But as [*Space.com* reports](), its rollout didn't go as planned: one of the aperture doors covering its main instrument, a particle-detecting device dubbed Resolve, has remained jammed, causing scientists a great deal of distress. Several attempts to remotely open the door have failed so far, with NASA confirming to *Space.com* that the telescope's planned operation of "at least 18 months" is not set in stone yet as officials discuss the "best path forward" — an incredibly unfortunate fate, considering XRISM was meant to provide scientists with a powerful alternative to NASA's aging Chandra X-ray Observatory. It's especially pertinent as Chandra's operations are on very thin ice, with a potential budget crunch [posing an existential threat](). ## Summer Jams XRISM's closed-door dilemma is especially unfortunate because Resolve, an incredibly sensitive X-ray spectrometer, is otherwise working as planned after being launched into orbit. The instrument is a major upgrade over its counterpart attached to Chandra, and can detect the energy released by X-rays at a mind-blowing level of accuracy, down to changes in millikelvins. To do just that, it has to be cooled down, well below the temperature of its already frigid surroundings. "You are basically almost 30 times colder than the coldest part of outer space," Netherlands Institute for Space Research astrophysicist and XRISM science team member Aurora Simionescu told *Space.com*. However, there's a silver lining to Resolve's closed-door conundrum. While the instrument can't measure extremely low-energy X-rays with the door jammed shut, it *can* measure *high*-energy X-rays, because those wavelengths remain unaffected by the obstruction. Nonetheless, it's a sad reality for scientists, who were hoping for a revolution in the field of X-ray astronomy. "I am absolutely gutted that we can't see below 2 keV," Simionescu told *Space.com*. **More on X-ray spectrometry:** *[Astronomers Furious at Plan to Shut Down NASA Space Telescope]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()