Novel Space Telescope Gets Its First Mirror

Novel Space Telescope Gets Its First Mirror

NASA is planning on opening that bottle of champagne earlier than planned. Space exploration will now be taken to a whole new level thanks to the James Webb Deep Space Telescopes, NASA’s new wonder-child. As scientists are planning to push even further into outer space, novel space telescope gets its first mirror.

This new marvel of engineering is set to take off in the first months of 2018, and everyone is busy with preparing the giant eye for its first glance into outer space. The high-powered deep space telescope incorporates some of the most advances technologies available in the fields of optics and electronics. But the telescope itself cannot be claimed entirely by NASA. The James Webb project brought together 3 major space agencies from all around the globe, include the ESA and the Canadian Space Agency.

According to the schedule, poste on NASA’s website, the technicians at NASA already managed to install 18 gigantic mirror into the deep space telescopes. The operation itself was catalogued by NASA as being lengthy, for the installation of the mirror will take at least several months. By their appraisal of the situation, this phase will be likely to continue into 2016.

As to the equipment needed to piece together this modern-day Polyphemus, two major companies won the privilege of designing and building the required components. So, the giant mirror will be constructed by Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corporation and the ensemble will be put together by the Harrys Corporation.

Now, as to the telescope’s technical specification, NASA poste a couple of details regarding its components. The high-tech mirrors are made from beryllium, a lightweight compound, known to withstand high mechanical forces. Also, beryllium is quite good when it comes to dealing with extreme temperatures. The telescope’s segments also has a glittery finish: whole segments are covered with a very thin gold coating. The coating will ensure that each segment is capable of reflecting infrared light

Like all measuring instruments, precision is the key to success. Those in charge of putting together this eye in sky must ensure that each piece falls into place with precision. The mirror must be very carefully placed and align to ensure that the device is capable of focusing images. All of the mirrors will be mounted on framework, made of carbon fiber.

NASA has predicted that the telescope will be able to endure extremely cold temperatures. As for its purpose, NASA has announced that the telescope, set to launch in 2018, will be used in order to study the past of our galaxy. And, for the first time in history, James Webb will be the first telescope that can truly be called a deep space telescope. The telescope will have to travel 1.5 million kilometers from Earth in order to become fully operational.

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