![]() "We knew that there were going to be things that we find where Hubble gave some tantalizing clues but didn’t have the right suite of capabilities to pursue," Rieke said.īut the impressive size of Webb's mirror was also one of the mission's greatest design challenges. In other words, if Hubble opened a window to the universe, then Webb will likely kick down the door. The Webb telescope’s primary mirror, which collects and focuses light from objects in the cosmos, will be the largest to fly in space. Though Hubble is responsible for decades of scientific discoveries and some of the most jaw-dropping images of the cosmos, including the famed Pillars of Creation, the telescope is limited in what it can see - and how far. The observatory will build on the legacy of the iconic Hubble Space Telescope, which has been operating since 1990. For the thousands of scientists and engineers around the world involved with the project, it has been a long and often bumpy journey. Over the course of its development, the telescope ran billions of dollars over budget and was finished more than a decade behind schedule. First proposed more than 30 years ago, the observatory is designed to help astronomers piece together how the modern universe came to be.īut the project has not been without controversy. The James Webb Space Telescope is a collaboration between NASA, the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency. "Once it leaves the planet, it's on its own." Next-generation space telescope "There's no help on the way," Robinson said. That won't be an option this time, said Greg Robinson, Webb’s program director at NASA. Astronauts famously visited the Hubble Space Telescope in low-Earth orbit on five separate servicing missions between 19. This helps shield the telescope's instruments from heat and light that could interfere with its observations.īut at a million miles away, NASA won't be able to send astronauts to the telescope to make upgrades or repairs if anything goes wrong. ![]() The observatory's destination is known as the second Lagrange, or L2, point and was chosen because the telescope can remain in a stable orbit with one side of the telescope permanently facing Earth and the sun. Artist conception of the James Webb Space Telescope in space. Risky businessĪfter launch, the Webb telescope will spend about a month journeying to a point in orbit around the sun that is about 1 million miles away from Earth. It could also observe exoplanets with instruments sensitive enough to study their atmospheres, looking for potential biosignatures of alien life.įor all its potential benefits, the mission is also one of NASA's most daring. She said Webb could unlock mysteries of the early universe, from as far back as 100 million years after the Big Bang. Rieke has spent the past 20 years leading the development of one of the Webb telescope's four main instruments, a specially designed infrared camera known as NIRcam.
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