Posted on 05/10/2007 5:50:43 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
A full scale model of the James Webb Space Telescope sits on the National Mall outside the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC. NASA unveiled Thursday a model of the massive space telescope that will replace the aging Hubble in 2013 and allow scientists to observe the formation of the first galaxies at the dawning of the universe.(AFP/Tim Sloan)
http://www.jwst.nasa.gov/about.html
JWST was formerly known as the “Next Generation Space Telescope” (NGST). JWST was renamed in Sept. 2002 after a former NASA administrator, James Webb.
I guess I don’t understand why a $4.5B telescope will only last 10 years.
I sure hope this wasn’t named after Senator James Webb. Please tell me it isn’t.
http://www.jwst.nasa.gov/comparison.html
How does JWST contrast with HST?
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has been called the successor to the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). But what does this really mean? How will JWST be different than HST? There are some similarities - both telescopes are (or will be) in space. They both seek to improve our understanding of processes like star birth and the evolution of galaxies. However, there are many differences between HST and JWST.
For starters, JWST will primarily look at the Universe in the infrared, while HST studies it at optical and ultra-violet wavelengths. JWST also has a much bigger mirror than HST. This larger light collecting area means that JWST can peer farther back into time than HST is capable of doing. HST is in a very close orbit around the earth, while JWST will be 1.5 million miles away at the second Lagrange (L2) point.
At .93 million miles they better get it right the first time, I don’t think we can effectively repair it like Hubble.
it could be worse... They could have called it the “Webb Hubble II”
Nope. :-)
JWST was renamed in Sept. 2002 after a former NASA administrator, James Webb.
It isn’t. ;) This James Webb is the guy who ran NASA in the early years.
Whew!
Yup.
I like this telescope already!
At first I thought you said James Woods Space Telescope.
Cool! Hope they triple check the mirrors before launch this time.
It's a simple answer really. 10 years is what it they believe it will take to build a $12.8B model to replace it! /SARC
Batteries, fuel, and orbit degradation.
I did all of the software for the Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) on Spitzer. Sadly, I get no royalties for all of the pictures...
Typical bureaucracy, naming it after Webb. The successor to the Hubble telescope should be named for Hubble’s protege and successor, Allen Sandage.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
