Science@ESA (Episode 4): Following The Redshift (Part 2) – Hubble’s Successor: The James Webb Space Telescope.
In this fourth episode of the Science@ESA vodcast series Rebecca Barnes will identify some of the key discoveries achieved with the famous Hubble Space Telescope, look at the concept of redshift, and meet a new telescope that will be used to uncover the early Universe.
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Named in 2002 in honour of NASA’s administrator during the Apollo programme, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) mission is a collaborative project between the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency.
JWST will address many of the outstanding issues of modern astronomy related to the ‘Early Universe’ and is expected to yield scientific breakthroughs as did its predecessor, the Hubble Space Telescope. JWST will be a general-purpose observatory with a suite of astronomical infrared-sensitive instruments.
Compared to existing or planned observatories, JWST will have the unique advantage of combining superb image quality throughout a wide wavelength range, a wide field of view and unparalleled photon sensitivity due to its 6.5-metre diameter telescope primary mirror.
http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/area/index.cfm?fareaid=29
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The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is a planned infrared space observatory, the partial successor to the aging Hubble Space Telescope. The JWST will not be a complete successor, because it will not be sensitive to all of the light wavelengths that Hubble can see.
The main scientific goal is to observe the most distant objects in the universe, those beyond the reach of either ground based instruments or the Hubble. The JWST project is a NASA-led international collaboration with contributors in fifteen nations, the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA).
Originally called the Next Generation Space Telescope (NGST), it was renamed in 2002 after NASA’s second administrator, James E. Webb (1906-1992). Webb had headed NASA from the beginning of the Kennedy administration through the Johnson administration (1961-68), thus overseeing all the manned launches in the Mercury through Gemini programs, until just before the first manned Apollo flight.
Current plans call for the telescope to be launched on an Ariane 5 rocket in June 2014, on a five-year mission (10 year goal). The JWST will reside in solar orbit near the Sun-Earth L2 point, which is on a line passing from the Sun to the Earth, but about 1.5 million km farther away from the Sun than is the Earth.
This position, which moves around the Sun in exact orbital synchrony with the Earth, will allow JWST to shield itself from infrared from both Sun and Earth, by using a single radiation shield positioned between the telescope and the Sun-Earth direction.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Webb_Space_Telescope
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Duration : 0:6:42
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February 3rd, 2010 at 6:23 am
Our future depends …
Our future depends on exploring space. The earths resources are being used up making Sony radios, cell phones and big screen tvs for everyone. Just to make a few people rich. The earth isn’t going to last forever and there needs to be a lot more effort put into things like this than there is.
February 3rd, 2010 at 6:23 am
Got u JWSt and …
Got u JWSt and really u r awesome…But be on time to perform duties..
good luck!!!
)
February 3rd, 2010 at 6:23 am
@ …
@ pointCOUNTERpoint01 I know that and you know that but how often do corporations invest money in pure research that is not directed specifically at something that think will make a profit in the near future? So, I think my point remains valid. The free market isn’t going to fund something like this, or LHC.
February 3rd, 2010 at 6:23 am
@Ansonidak There is …
@Ansonidak There is profit in knowledge.
February 3rd, 2010 at 6:23 am
omg somebody strap …
omg somebody strap a rocket on my and blast me up there.
February 3rd, 2010 at 6:23 am
Why would the free …
Why would the free market do anything like this? there is no profit in it.
February 3rd, 2010 at 6:23 am
OMG! l’m so excited …
OMG! l’m so excited! l can’t wait to see what the JWST will bring to the world of science! Now l’m even more excited to get my degree (Physics) and get to work! The JWST will be an invaluable instrument to astronomy; but that doesn’t mean Hubble won’t be my first love. ^_^
February 3rd, 2010 at 6:23 am
I don’t get …
I don’t get libertarianism – could you message me saying why you think it would work?
You just don’t seem like a lot of the dumbasses I come across.
February 3rd, 2010 at 6:23 am
It’s tough being a …
It’s tough being a libertarian and a science enthusiast.
Can’t support stealing money from everyone to subsidize these programs, yet when I see them come together, it’s very exciting.
I’ll bet a free market could do even better
February 3rd, 2010 at 6:23 am
Even better, …
Even better, imagine if we KEPT the money stolen from us to pay for war and like this. I’d start my own science foundation!
February 3rd, 2010 at 6:23 am
it looks kind of …
it looks kind of like a star destroyer.
February 3rd, 2010 at 6:23 am
she has a cool voice
she has a cool voice
February 3rd, 2010 at 6:23 am
I think this …
I think this folding mirror could reduce costs for earth bound telescopes by mass production of smaller mirrors being fitted together to make a larger mirror.
February 3rd, 2010 at 6:23 am
I agree the launch …
I agree the launch costs would be the same…ASSUMING we used the shuttle. However, on an expendable, you don’t have to take 7 people and a 120,000 pound reusable cargo shroud (with built-in ariplane) with you. Also consider the economies of scale and technology improvements from launching a Hubble class mission every 5 years or so, not to mention any residual value left from the previous telescope.
February 3rd, 2010 at 6:23 am
Yup, you’re exactly …
Yup, you’re exactly right, and you should also know that it is a metastable point, like a ball at the top of a cone-shaped hill. If it starts to move off the point it will accelerate away from it. This means that it has to station-keep in order to stay here. However, it still uses less fuel there than it does in LEO.
I disagree with your last. The launches of a maint vs a new mission are roughly the same; so compare cost of maint mission (without launch) to new build. Won’t wash.
February 3rd, 2010 at 6:23 am
following the red …
following the red shift back to the earlier stars and galaxies. Sounds exciting!
February 3rd, 2010 at 6:23 am
Punchexx: if it was …
Punchexx: if it was further out than Earth and in a planetary orbit, it would take longer than one year to orbit the sun and would drift backwards relative to us. The special thing about the L2 point is that while it is MOSTLY orbiting the sun, it is also just barely orbiting the Earth…just enough to speed it up to make it take one year to travel around the sun despite the greater distance.
Also: We could’ve replaced Hubble many times over for the cost of the servicing missions.
February 3rd, 2010 at 6:23 am
Why does it have …
Why does it have severely warped and wavey mirrors in the renderings? I can get smoother mirrors at the home improvement store. Those things will be polished smooth to the sub-micron level.
February 3rd, 2010 at 6:23 am
OMG I am growing …
OMG I am growing bored of all this and need something scandalous to keep my mouth occupied
February 3rd, 2010 at 6:23 am
Lol
Lol
February 3rd, 2010 at 6:23 am
3:00 Is that a fish …
3:00 Is that a fish? or am I just seeing things ???
February 3rd, 2010 at 6:23 am
@EcrossH agreed
@EcrossH agreed
February 3rd, 2010 at 6:23 am
Hey! Bjorn Lynne …
Hey! Bjorn Lynne composed music for this? I should have known!
February 3rd, 2010 at 6:23 am
You’re right about …
You’re right about L2 – I was wrong.
It is true in space that the closer you are to a massive object the more junk will be accumulated around you. Not only the nuts and bolts and tankage we’ve put in orbit, but more dust and gas molecules. All these cut down he sensitivity of the instrument, which are getting good enough to begin noticing. Also, the planetary orbit is easier to maintain then the Earth orbit is – takes less fuel to station keep. In this orbit the sun doesn’t interfere as much.
February 3rd, 2010 at 6:23 am
I’m loving this …
I’m loving this channel. Glad I subscribed