Seeing the First Light The James Webb Space Telescope Amber N. Straughn Lead Scientist for JWST E/PO Paul Geithner JWST Observatory Manager jwst.nasa.gov

(JWST ‘Movie Trailer’ at jwst.nasa.gov/videos_general_3.html)

The Webb Telescope…why?

BIG questions need a BIG telescope!

The Webb Telescope…why? BIG questions need a BIG telescope!

James Webb Space Telescope Named for 2 nd NASA Administrator 6.6m Telescope Launch in 2014 to L2 Successor to Hubble & Spitzer 4 instruments - infrared Complementary to future planned ground-based telescope NASA + ESA + CSA: 15 countries Lead: Goddard Space Flight Center Prime: Northrop Grumman Space Technology Operations: STScI Senior Project Scientist: Nobel Laureate John Mather

What is “first light”?

Four Science Themes for the Webb telescope

Hubble Ultra Deep Field …. to identify the first bright objects that formed in the early Universe, and follow the ionization history. The End of the Dark Ages: First Light and Reionization

What’s wavelength got to do with it?

(JWST Science visualizations to be released Oct. 2010)

NGC 4676 (The Mice) by HST … to determine how galaxies and dark matter, including gas, stars, metals, physical structures (like spiral arms) and active nuclei evolved to the present day. The Assembly of Galaxies

(JWST Science visualizations to be released Oct. 2010)

The Birth of Stars and Protoplanetary Systems David Hardy … to unravel the birth and early development of stars and the formation of planets.

The Birth of Stars and Protoplanetary Systems

(JWST Science visualizations to be released Oct. 2010)

Planetary Systems and the Origins of Life Robert Hurt … to determine the physical and chemical properties of solar systems (including our own) and where the building blocks of life may be present.

We will answer these BIG science questions with the new James Webb Space Telescope… but… How do we build it (hint: it’s already being built!)? How do we launch it? What’s it made of? Where in space is it going?