The James Webb Space Telescope (sometimes called JWST) is a large, infrared-optimized space telescope.
Images from Official JWST Flickr stream (Mix between model JWST and real one)
The project is working to a 2018 launch date. Webb will find the first galaxies that formed in the early Universe, connecting the Big Bang to our own Milky Way Galaxy. Webb will peer through dusty clouds to see stars forming planetary systems, connecting the Milky Way to our own Solar System. Webb’s instruments will be designed to work primarily in the infrared range of the electromagnetic spectrum, with some capability in the visible range.
Webb will have a large mirror, 6.5 meters (21.3 feet) in diameter and a sunshield the size of a tennis court. Both the mirror and sunshade won’t fit onto a rocket fully open, so both will fold up and open once Webb is in outer space. Webb will reside in an orbit about 1.5 million km (1 million miles) from the Earth.
The James Webb Space Telescope was named after the NASA Administrator who crafted the Apollo program, and who was a staunch supporter of space science.
916
Image: An engineer inspects the JWST’s primary mirror segments at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. Credit: Chris Gunn/NASA (Via NASA to Propose Flagship Astronomy Mission in 2015)
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope: A Year of Achievement and Success
The James Webb Space Telescope marked a year of significant progress in 2011 as it continues to come together as NASA’s next generation space telescope.
The year brought forth a pathfinder backplane to support the large primary mirror structure, mirror cryotesting, creation of mirror support structures, several successful sunshield layer tests and the creation of an assembly station within NASA Goddard Space Flight Center’s cleanroom.
Achievements were also made in the areas of flight and communications software and the propulsion system.
Those feels when NASA updates its news section with JWST related content
A message from gummybearsjunebug
Excuse my potty mouth but because space is cold as fuck and the telescope will be generating heat as it spends time in space. So it’s very important for the telescope to know how to regulate its own temperature while withstanding extreme cold temps from space. The way to know about this and do that is by testing the equipment’s limits here on Earth so that it can run smoothly without errors, overheating, freezing, etc. once it is sent out.
Cryogenic Testing Completed For NASA’s Webb Telescope Mirrors
Imaged Above: An engineer examines the Webb telescope primary mirror Engineering Design Unit segment in the clean room at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. Credit: NASA/Chris Gunn.
I hope I’m not the only one who squeals like an avid school child at the sight of any incoming news on the successor to the Hubble Space Telescope, The James Webb Space Telescope. So it’s no surprise that as NASA engineers grow closer to finishing this wonderful piece of technology, so does our interest in its completion, and while it isn’t quite finished, the fact that it was saved from an almost imminent death due to lack of funds makes the works being put into it all the more appreciated. You thought Hubble took some amazing shots of the cosmos? Wait until this guy starts its orbit:
Cryogenic testing is complete for the final six primary mirror segments and a secondary mirror that will fly on NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. The milestone represents the successful culmination of a process that took years and broke new ground in manufacturing and testing large mirrors.
“The mirror completion means we can build a large, deployable telescope for space,” said Scott Willoughby, vice president and Webb program manager at Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems. “We have proven real hardware will perform to the requirements of the mission.”
The Webb telescope has 21 mirrors, with 18 mirror segments working together as a large 21.3-foot (6.5-meter) primary mirror. Each individual mirror segment now has been successfully tested to operate at 40 Kelvin (-387 Fahrenheit or -233 Celsius).
“Mirrors need to be cold so their own heat does not drown out the very faint infrared images,” said Lee Feinberg, NASA Optical Telescope Element manager for the Webb telescope at the agency’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. “With the completion of all mirror cryogenic testing, the toughest challenge since the beginning of the program is now completely behind us.” —NASA
Some Additional Good News on The JWST Front:
Hubble Repairman To Lead NASA Science Division
It’s official: NASA has named John Grunsfeld to head up the science mission directorate at the agency. One month ago, Nature was tipped that the astrophysicist and five-time shuttle astronaut had been tapped to head up the US$5-billion division.
As a veteran repairman on the Hubble telescope servicing missions, and as the current deputy director of the Space Telescope Science Institute, Grunsfeld should be well equipped to deal with the agency’s flagship mission: the $8-billion James Webb Space Telescope. He will take the reins on 4 January. — Nature
How NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope Could Spot Earth-like Planets
The James Webb Space Telescope has been in the news a lot lately. Often referred to as the replacement for the Hubble Space Telescope, its existence has been in jeopardy since a House committee voted to cut its funding this summer. While the telescope promises to revolutionize space science, its expanding budget has caused politicians and others to wonder if the promised returns justify the cost.
The JWST is not merely an upgraded version of Hubble. Rather than measure visible or ultraviolet light like Hubble does, JWST will detect infrared wavelengths from 0.6 (orange light) to 28 micrometers (deep infrared radiation of about 100 K, about minus 173 degrees Celsius or minus 280 degrees Fahrenheit).
Because JWST will be looking for heat, the telescope has to be kept very cold, and shielded from radiation coming from the sun, Earth and moon. To keep the telescope’s temperature down to 40 degrees Kelvin (minus 233 C or minus 388 F), JWST will have a large sunshield and will orbit the sun at Lagrange Point 2.
The orbit of JWST will be 930,000 miles (1,500,000 kilometers) from the Earth, nearly 4 times farther than the distance between the Earth and the moon. The balance of gravitational forces from the Earth and sun at the L2 point will keep JWST in a stable orbit without having to expend much energy. However, this great distance also means servicing or repairing the telescope after launch may not be possible.
