PREVIEW

AssetID: 40420938

Headline: Watch A $10 Billion Telescope Being Unfolded

Caption: This is NASA’s $10 billion undergoing an important unfolding test. The space agency announced 31 March that the James Webb Space Telescope full mirror deployment was a success. In order to perform ground-breaking science, Webb’s primary mirror needs to be so large that it cannot fit inside any rocket available in its fully extended form. Like the art of origami, Webb is a collection of movable parts employing applied material science that have been specifically designed to fold themselves to a compact formation that is considerably smaller than when the observatory is fully deployed. This allows it to just barely fit within a 16-foot (5-meter) payload fairing, with little room to spare. “Deploying both wings of the telescope while part of the fully assembled observatory is another significant milestone showing Webb will deploy properly in space. This is a great achievement and an inspiring image for the entire team,” said Lee Feinberg, optical telescope element manager for Webb at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. The test was performed in early March. Launch date is scheduled for 30 March 2021.

Keywords: odd; oddity; offbeat; quirky; amazing; interesting; cool; science; tech; technology

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