Introduction of Space Technology

The James Webb Space Telescope The James Webb Space Telescope was previously known as the Next Generation Space Telescope. It will launch into space sometime around 2018 Planning for the telescope began in 1996 with collaboration from 17 different countries. The project was led by NASA with significant contributions from the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency. The project was nearly cancelled by the United States congress in 2011 after $3 Billion had already been put into the telescope. In November 2011, they reversed the decision and instead proposed an $8 Billion cap.

Successor to The Hubble Telescope The JWST is the formal successor to the Hubble Space Telescope but could equally be considered a successor the Spitzer Space Telescope as well. It will far surpass both telescopes by observing much older stars and galaxies. The JWST will put into orbit around the sun approximately 930,000 miles beyond Earth using one giant radiation sheild positioned between the telescope and the sun. Its primary emphasis will be on infrared observation rather than visible light observation as the Hubble and Spitzer employ.

Successor to The Hubble Telescope

The JWST Mission 1.To search for light from the first stars and galaxies which formed in the Universe after the Big Bang. 2.To study the formation and evolution of galaxies. 3.To understand the formation of stars and planetary systems. 4.To study planetary systems and the origins of life. All of these feats can be accomplished more effectively by analyzing near-infrared light rather than light in the visible part of the spectrum. It is for this reason that the JWST’s instruments will not measure much visible or ultraviolet light like the Hubble Telescope, but will be extremely efficient in its capacity to collect infrared light.

It will be able to:

Construction and Engineering of the JWST The Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland is heading the management of the observatory project. Many different elements and instruments will go into the JWST including an Optical Telescope Element (OTE), an Integrated Science Instrument Module (ISIM), a spacecraft element, among many others. The JWST is expected to launch on an Ariane 5 rocket beginning a five-year mission sometime around 2018.

Data Collection and Distribution The Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore, Maryland will be the Science and Operations Center for the project. They will be responsible for the operation of the telescope and deliver the data received to the astronomical community. The data will be transmitted directly from the JWST to the ground via NASA’s Deep Space Network. Then It will be processed and calibrated by the STScI and distributed online to astronomers worldwide.

Conclusion The James Webb Space Telescope will be the premier observational telescope in the universe accomplishing feats the Hubble and Spitzer Space telescopes before it could only dream of. By using a large, cold 6.5 meter diameter mirror and being placed very far away from Earth will give the JWST unprecedented resolution and sensitivity from long-wavelength visible to the mid- infrared, enabling us to study the birth and evolution of galaxies and the formation of stars and planets. It’s unfortunate that we will have to wait around six years till its launch and another 5 or so till we can put it’s data to use. It will most assuredly propel us to a new scientific era of understanding of the cosmos in which we live.