JWST Commissioning Bingo
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) commissioning is on the final stretch before the telescope can start science observations! With the telescope mirrors aligned and focused, attention turns to testing JWST’s four powerful instruments in a variety of different operational modes. Altogether, there are 17 distinct modes NASA will check out, ranging from imaging to spectroscopy to coronagraphy, as explained in this NASA blog about instrument commissioning.
NASA’s Deployment Explorer website will let us know when each mode has been verified by NASA, but the order in which the modes complete is not known ahead of time.
So we thought it would be fun to play some JWST Bingo during this final phase!
We’ve created a JWST Bingo card and tile pieces for you to use. Download and print out this PDF (in color or B&W) to play along. Be sure that each page is printed separately, since you will need to cut out the tiles on the second page. When an instrument mode is verified, first cut out the hexagon with the correspondingly-numbered tile piece, and then affix it over the mode’s hexagon either with a dab of glue or a bit of tape.
As you cover up all the hexagons with their corresponding tiles, you will slowly reveal a beautiful Webb engineering image taken during the telescope commissioning.
When science commissioning is complete, affix the last tile (number 18) and you will have the completed Webb image to enjoy! And best of all, once your JWST Bingo card is full, it means JWST is READY FOR SCIENCE!