14 DAY TRIAL // The most important component on the NASA James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) will be the segmented primary mirror, which will contain 18 of the observatory's 21 mirrors. The image above shows all of these components, packaged for shipment.
The image was taken in Boulder, Colorado, at Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corporation. The company was in charge of building and testing the mirrors, before shipping them to NASA. Without question, these are the most advanced mirrors ever created.
Each mirror is made up of beryllium – an element that can withstand cryogenic temperatures while remaining stiff and lightweight – and is coated with around 0.12 ounces of gold. The precious element was added to boost the mirrors' sensitivity to infrared wavelengths.
When JWST launches in 2018, it will replace the Hubble Space Telescope as NASA's flagship astronomical observatory. At a cost of $8.8 billion, it will be the most advanced, complex and expensive telescope ever made.