James Webb Telescope, Science Module, Perseverance Mars Rover, Tiangong Station

The year that ended in 2021 gave us just a huge number of various discoveries and, one might even say, sensations. In this article, I invite you to familiarize yourself with the most important of them. So, let's begin.

The brightest space events that happened in 2021

Launch of the new James Webb telescope into orbit

James Webb Telescope. Author: NASA / Chris Gunn - https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/james-webb-space-telescope-primary-mirror-prepared-for-testing-at-johnson-space-center, Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php? curid = 64512843

At the end of the year, perhaps the most important event for the entire world astrophysics in recent decades took place. In December, on the 25th, the new James Webb telescope was finally launched into space.

This event is compared by many to the launch in 1990 of the famous Hubble telescope, which in fact made a fundamental revolution. After all, thanks to his work, about 18,000 scientific papers were created, but the most important was the discovery of the fact that our Universe is expanding with acceleration. Which ultimately led to the emergence of such a concept as "dark matter".

So the new telescope James Webb significantly surpasses the famous veteran, and, already relying on this fact, scientists are in anticipation of new discoveries, which in their scale may well overshadow everything previous ones.

The difference between James Webb and Hubble lies in the enlarged mirror, as well as the ability to work in mid-infrared range, which is much better allows you to record thermal radiation, for example, such celestial bodies as planets and asteroids.

In addition, it is infrared radiation that penetrates significantly better through gas and dust clouds, which means that the new telescope will reveal much more ancient galaxies located from the Earth in billions of light years.

Multifunctional module "Science"

Perhaps the most important space event for Russia was the launch of the so-called "long-term construction" - a multifunctional laboratory module "Science".

This module belongs to the Russian part of the ISS (International Space Station), and its main task is to conduct experiments and various experiments. This is the last module that the Russian Federation has sent to the ISS, and it will operate at least until 2030 (it is up to this date that the ISS has been extended).

Disembarkation and start of operation of the Perseverance rover

Selfie of Perseverance with Ingenuity at Jezero Crater on Mars on April 7, 2021. Author: NASA - https://mars.nasa.gov/resources/25790/perseverances-selfie-with-ingenuity/, Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php? curid = 103269028

The Mars rover Perseverance was gently delivered to the Martian surface on 02/18/2021. Outwardly, it is quite similar to its predecessor Curiosity, but the devices on it are much more powerful and sophisticated.

The rover was landed in an area that, according to scientists, in ancient times was nothing more than the bottom of an ancient lake, which was named Jezero.

So on the device, in addition to seven scientific instruments, allowing you to study the surroundings and even collect samples of rocks that will subsequently be delivered to Earth, the first extraterrestrial aircraft in the history of mankind was also delivered Ingenuity. To date, he has already completed more than a dozen short flights in the atmosphere of Mars.

China National Orbital Station "Tiangong"

Also this year, China became only the third country in history, right after the USSR and the United States, which was able to launch a long-term inhabited space station into orbit. Over time, the Tiangong station will be "overgrown" with additional modules in which the taikonauts will live and work.

The first glacier on Mars

Another great scientific value is the discovery on Mars by Russian scientists of sufficiently large deposits of pure water ice. This became possible thanks to the work of the Russian-European TGO orbiter.

This glacier was found at the bottom of a canyon in the Mariner Valley and is almost twice as large in area, for example, Lake Ladoga.

The discovery of free ice on Mars could dramatically change all future exploration programs for the Red Planet, and no one can say what in the end it will be possible to discover if you begin to study more closely this ancient ice.

Perhaps these are the brightest events in the world of space that have occurred over the past year. In the comments, I ask you to write the brightest event according to your version.

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