The biggest-ever space telescope is
now one major step closer to completion.
On Wednesday (Feb. 3), technicians
installed the 18th and final primary mirror segment on NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), an $8.8
billion observatory that's scheduled to launch in 2018 to investigate some of
the biggest questions in astronomy.
"Scientists and engineers have
been working tirelessly to install these incredible, nearly perfect mirrors
that will focus light from previously hidden realms of planetary atmospheres,
star forming regions and the very beginnings of the universe," John
Grunsfeld, associate administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in
Washington, D.C., said in a statement.
"With the mirrors finally
complete, we are one step closer to the audacious observations that will
unravel the mysteries of the universe," Grunsfeld added.
JWST is billed as the successor to
NASA's iconic Hubble Space Telescope. The new observatory
features a much larger light-collecting surface than Hubble; with the 18
segments installed, JWST's primary mirror is 21.3 feet (6.5 meters) wide,
compared to 7.9 feet (2.4 m) for Hubble.
Each of JWST's hexagonal mirror
segments is about the size of a coffee table and weighs 88 lbs. (40 kilograms),
NASA officials said. Workers at the agency's Goddard Space Flight Center in
Greenbelt, Maryland, used a robotic arm to fit the last of the 18 sections into
place on Wednesday.
"Now that the mirror is
complete, we look forward to installing the other optics and conducting tests
on all the components to make sure the telescope can withstand a rocket
launch," JWST project manager Bill Ochs said in the same statement. "This is a great way to
start 2016!"
Whereas Hubble's most famous images
have been captured in visible light, JWST is optimized to view the universe in longer
infrared wavelengths. Infrared light can penetrate dust clouds, allowing the
observatory to look across vast stretches of the universe to study the
formation of galaxies, stars and planets, mission team members have said.
Astronomers will also use JWST for a
number of other purposes — including the search for possible signs of life in
the atmospheres of relatively nearby alien planets.
The observatory's primary mirror
segments were built by Colorado-based Ball Aerospace, a subcontractor for
Northrop Grumman, which is building JWST for NASA. The mirror installation was
performed by Harris Corp., another Northrop Grumman subcontractor, NASA
officials said.
"The Harris team will be
installing the aft-optics assembly and the secondary mirror in order to finish
the actual telescope," Gary Matthews, director of universe exploration at
Harris Corp., said in the same statement.
"The heart of the telescope,
the Integrated Science Instrument Module, will then be integrated into the
telescope," Matthews added. "After acoustic, vibration and other
tests at Goddard, we will ship the system down to [NASA's] Johnson Space Center
in Houston for an intensive cryogenic [extremely cold temperature] optical test
to ensure everything is working properly."
By: Mike Wall.
Review: Emerging Market
Formulations & Research Unit, Flagship Records.
For
The #FacebookTeam