Hubble: Then JWST: Now
by Sarah Barber, NASA, 2015
"Equipped with his five senses, man explores the universe around him and calls the adventure science."
Hubble Basics
There were a total of five EVAs (extravehicular activity, or outside the spacecraft) that were done on the Hubble. Missions 1, 2, 3A, 3B, and 4.
The basic idea for the Hubble came from an astronomer in 1946, Lyman Sptizer. He theorized about an orbital telescope, and was crucial in the development and design of the Hubble. The namesake of this revolutionary object was Edwin Hubble. He was the one of the first people to discover that there were galaxies other than our own Milky Way. His biggest most important discovery was in 1929, when he discovered that the galaxies were actually moving away from each other. This realization helped form the base of the Big Bang theory.
Houston, we have a problem
Hubble's Discoveries
- Comet crashes- Hubble's intense images of multiple comet crashes on Jupiter bring interesting questions about the planet's composition.
- Extrasolar planets- the Hubble provides a view into periods of time when these planets are blocked from light, called transits.
- The births of stars and planets- before the Hubble, scientists and astronomers could not see the actual star-forming disks, but only the jets of radiation coming from the star.
James Webb Telescope
NASA has high hopes for this telescope, from jwst.nasa.gov, "JWST will be the premier observatory of the next decade, serving thousands of astronomers worldwide. It will study every phase in the history of our Universe, ranging from the first luminous glows after the Big Bang, to the formation of solar systems capable of supporting life on planets like Earth, to the evolution of our own Solar System."
From HubbleSite:
Progress with the JWST
In 2015, NASA mounted all 18 primary mirror pieces to the backbone of the telescope, as well as the secondary mirror and support struts.
Looking ahead, in 2016, NASA plans to integrate the primary and secondary mirrors with the aft mirrors and the ISIM to create the unit known as the Optical Telescope Element. The spacecraft is connected to the sunshield.
Final tests are conducted in 2017, and the telescope is ready to be shipped to Kourou, French Guiana, for it's launch in 2018.