Far away just got a lot closer. Through the incredible capabilities of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), our knowledge of the universe will soon be considerably enhanced.
JWST’s science instrument package was just installed into the telescope. This exciting achievement was a critical mission operation; engineers and technicians had trained extensively before maneuvering the valuable hardware into the telescope structure. The team successfully lifted the science instrument package with a crane, and then lowered and secured it into the telescope enclosure.
The light collected by the giant golden mirror will be recorded by the cameras and sensors which were just installed.
What’s next? The structure, mirrors and instruments will go through vibration and acoustic testing. This will make sure the entire payload will be able to withstand the launch into space.
When JWST launches in 2018, it will study every phase in our Universe’s history. It will be able to peer through dust clouds, as its observations will be primarily in the infrared. This enables JWST to observe extremely distant objects.
The JWST project is led by NASA with its international partners – the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency.
While JWST is the successor to the Hubble Space Telescope, this new observatory will be much farther away from Earth. While Hubble orbits Earth at an altitude slightly over 500 kilometers, JWST will be 1.5 million kilometers away!
JWST will examine the formation of galaxies, stars and planets. It will look for the first objects formed after the Big Bang and will study the properties of other planetary systems as well as their potential for life.
JWST will help to bring the universe home to us.
Want to know more about JWST? Visit NASA.gov.