14 DAY TRIAL // Officials say that the first of the primary mirror segments to go on NASA's future James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has just completed the final stage of the manufacturing process.
This means that the first of several mirror segments is now ready to be installed on the bus that will eventually form the massive observatory destined to replace the Hubble Space Telescope.
The Northrop Grumman Corporation is the primary contractor on building the JWST mirror, and reaching this tremendously-important mission milestone is an achievement for the company.
Given the peculiar nature of the telescope, its size, and its location in space, the mirrors that will form its “eyes” need to meet some very specific conditions, which are extremely rigorous.
The mirrors need to be able to bend light following certain formulas, but at the same time they would need to be able to withstand the cold temperatures of outer space.
Northrop has been chosen to construct these incredibly accurate mirrors, under a contract with the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, in Greenbelt, Maryland.
In order to ensure that infrared light is properly reflected from the primary mirror of the telescope into its science instruments, experts ensured that the segment was coated with an ultra-thin layer of evaporated gold.
At this point, there remains no further work to be done on this segment. It is to be shipped in Boulder, Colorado, at the Ball Aerospace Corporation, where it will be attached to its support and actuation structures.
“This is the first primary mirror segment to have reached this level of completion and we have every confidence it is flightworthy. On the heels of a successful Mission Design Review, we continue to make significant progress with flight hardware components,” says Scott Willoughby.
The official is the Webb Telescope program manager for the Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems sector, Space Fellowship reports.
A number of 18 primary mirror flight segments are scheduled to be constructed, and each of them will pass through the same rigorous series of tests as the first one.
Mirror construction has been going on for the better part of 7 years, experts reveal. Once ready to fly, the JWST will be the most advanced space telescope ever built.