1 00:00:00,060 --> 00:00:04,110 (reporter) NASA is giving us a behind the scenes look at their largest and most powerful 2 00:00:04,110 --> 00:00:08,180 space telescope. Here to tell us a little bit about it is the James Webb 3 00:00:08,180 --> 00:00:12,280 Space Telescope Manager Bill Ochs, thanks for joining us. 4 00:00:12,280 --> 00:00:16,330 (Bill Ochs) Sure. (reporter) What is the James Webb Space Telescope and how is it different 5 00:00:16,330 --> 00:00:20,510 from the Hubble Space Telescope. (Bill Ochs) SO, JWST is the next 6 00:00:20,510 --> 00:00:24,610 great NASA Observatories. Two main differences with Hubble 7 00:00:24,610 --> 00:00:28,640 is we are a lot bigger than Hubble. Our primary mirror is about 7 times the size 8 00:00:28,640 --> 00:00:32,670 of Hubble mirror and we are about 3 stories high and about 9 00:00:32,670 --> 00:00:36,740 width of a tennis court. That allows us to go back and look 10 00:00:36,740 --> 00:00:40,880 at some the first stars and galaxies that were formed after the 11 00:00:40,880 --> 00:00:45,060 big bang. (reporter) Once it launches, the Webb Telescope 12 00:00:45,060 --> 00:00:49,260 will travel a million miles from Earth. How do you know it will work 13 00:00:49,260 --> 00:00:53,290 so far away? (Bill Ochs) So the key to any NASA program whether its a million miles from Earth 14 00:00:53,290 --> 00:00:57,340 or whether its in low Earth orbit, its a very rigorous test program. That is we've spent years 15 00:00:57,340 --> 00:01:01,440 developing on JWST, whether it's working or doing testing we do here at Goddard 16 00:01:01,440 --> 00:01:05,540 or whether it's down in Texas, where we do some of our cryogenic testing 17 00:01:05,540 --> 00:01:09,650 out in Northrop Grumman, out in California were we put our final pieces together. 18 00:01:09,650 --> 00:01:13,720 the test program we have looks at every aspects of the telescope to make sure it works. 19 00:01:13,720 --> 00:01:17,790 (reporter) Webb is the largest telescope ever built 20 00:01:17,790 --> 00:01:21,850 How do you build a 3 story tall telescope on Earth, for what 21 00:01:21,850 --> 00:01:25,970 it will encounter in space? (Bill Ochs) So the best way to do it is to start with small pieces 22 00:01:25,970 --> 00:01:29,980 and you start testing at the smallest piece and build it up, so what have seen behind 23 00:01:29,980 --> 00:01:34,160 me and looking in our cleanroom is the completed telescope 24 00:01:34,160 --> 00:01:38,390 integrated with our four instruments, and what we are doing right now is checking 25 00:01:38,390 --> 00:01:42,470 out the optics on it to make sure they are okay, after we've gone through environmental testing 26 00:01:42,470 --> 00:01:46,520 and the environmental testing we did is to simulate the most violent environment 27 00:01:46,520 --> 00:01:50,580 it will see, which is the rocket ride, so right now we are making sure everything 28 00:01:50,580 --> 00:01:54,670 works after that. Then we will be actually done here at Goddard and ready to ship down to 29 00:01:54,670 --> 00:01:58,830 Johnson Space Center. (reporter) NASA recently discovered 7 30 00:01:58,830 --> 00:02:03,010 Earth size planets orbiting a nearby star, will Webb study these planets? 31 00:02:03,010 --> 00:02:07,050 (Bill Ochs) Yes, one of the things we will do, we will look at all the different planets, or many 32 00:02:07,050 --> 00:02:11,100 different planets that have been discovered recently. We will be able to look at the chemical 33 00:02:11,100 --> 00:02:15,140 makeup of the atmosphere of that planet, to see if really does have the basic elements to 34 00:02:15,140 --> 00:02:19,250 be able have life. (reporter) Webb is going 35 00:02:19,250 --> 00:02:23,380 to do amazing science once it's in space, what are you most excited for? 36 00:02:23,380 --> 00:02:27,560 (Bill Ochs) Probably the most exciting thing is the things we don't know, with Hubble 37 00:02:27,560 --> 00:02:31,620 it was the same way. It's really the most exciting sciences it found was the things that were never 38 00:02:31,620 --> 00:02:35,650 anticipated. Its really thinking about well what will we find that we never 39 00:02:35,650 --> 00:02:39,690 thought of before. (reporter) Where can we learn more? 40 00:02:39,690 --> 00:02:43,770 (Bill Ochs) JWST.nasa.gov (reporter) Thanks so much for 41 00:02:43,770 --> 00:02:45,565 joining us. (Bill Ochs) Thank You.