This splendid piece of apparatus took almost 20 years to be designed and completed now ready for use to observe space. It was built to overthrow NASA’s Hubble and promises to elevate the level of space exploration steeply with its powerful resolution.
The James Webb Space Telescope is all set to receive the stardom of being the most magnificent and multifarious orbital observatory to be launched into space. It has seven times the capability of collecting light as Hubble, along with modern infrared imaging technology. With it, scientists mean to find out about distant celestial masses from an unmarred perspective.
The idea of placing such an advanced setup was first proposed in the mid-1990s. There followed a lengthy trial-and-error journey, by the end of which the launch was supposed to be in 2007.
Due to so many staggering years of uncertainty, the final launch is a moment of celebration for all the engineers and staff members who toiled around the clock for this moment. The team worked cleverly, combining two halves of the telescope with a crane in California, adjusting and amending here and there all the while.
“ The assembly of the telescope and its scientific instruments, sun shield and the spacecraft into one observatory represents an incredible achievement by the entire Webb team,” says Bill Ochs, Webb project manager for NASA Goddard Space Flight Centre in Greenbelt, Maryland.”This milestone symbolizes the efforts of over more than 20 years across NASA, the European Space Agency, Northrop Grumman, and the rest of our industrial and academic partners.”
There is still a lot of work to do before the final launch, though. Continuous testing hasn’t ceased yet, so as to avoid technical issues 930000 miles away from Earth. The definitive launch is slated for 2021.
For Astrophotography Lovers:
visit: https://scientiamag.org/steve-a-new-wonder-in-the-night-skies/
Aniqa Mazhar is a graduate of QAU in Biochemistry. She has taught sciences to O levels and is currently planning for her MS in Food Technology. Aniqa’s hobbies are reading, watching movies, writing, calligraphy, long walks, and nature photography.
