1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:04,000 [slate] 2 00:00:04,000 --> 00:00:08,000 [slate] 3 00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:12,000 [slate] 4 00:00:12,000 --> 00:00:16,000 Sure. The James Webb Space Telescope is the successor to the Hubble Space Telescope which 5 00:00:16,000 --> 00:00:20,000 is the most successful telescope in history. Webb 6 00:00:20,000 --> 00:00:24,000 will be bigger than Hubble and more powerful and be able 7 00:00:24,000 --> 00:00:28,000 to see things that are further away. [slate] 8 00:00:28,000 --> 00:00:32,000 [slate] 9 00:00:32,000 --> 00:00:36,000 Webb is able to see galaxies that are so far away that the light 10 00:00:36,000 --> 00:00:40,000 that those galaxies emitted has traveled for most of the age of the universe 11 00:00:40,000 --> 00:00:44,000 to get to our telescope. That means we’re seeing 12 00:00:44,000 --> 00:00:48,000 light that was emitted just after the Big Bang when the first 13 00:00:48,000 --> 00:00:52,000 stars and galaxies first started to form. 14 00:00:52,000 --> 00:00:56,000 Those galaxies then evolved over time to be galaxies like our own 15 00:00:56,000 --> 00:01:00,000 Milky Way that we live in. [slate] 16 00:01:00,000 --> 00:01:04,000 [slate] 17 00:01:04,000 --> 00:01:08,000 Webb is the successor to the Hubble, but it’s not a replacement. We would like 18 00:01:08,000 --> 00:01:12,000 love to have the two telescopes working together. Hubble works 19 00:01:12,000 --> 00:01:16,000 in ultraviolet light which is bluer than the light that we can see 20 00:01:16,000 --> 00:01:20,000 and in visible light and maybe a little bit into the near infrared 21 00:01:20,000 --> 00:01:24,000 which is redder than we can see. 22 00:01:24,000 --> 00:01:28,000 Webb will pick up with gold-colored light. 23 00:01:28,000 --> 00:01:32,000 It absorbs everything bluer than that because the mirrors are actually coated 24 00:01:32,000 --> 00:01:36,000 in gold. And reflects red light and infrared light 25 00:01:36,000 --> 00:01:40,000 out to where we’re seeing the heat from the stars and galaxies 26 00:01:40,000 --> 00:01:44,000 in the distant universe. By working together 27 00:01:44,000 --> 00:01:48,000 Hubble and Webb will give us a multicolored picture of the universe. 28 00:01:48,000 --> 00:01:52,000 [slate] 29 00:01:52,000 --> 00:01:56,000 [slate] Webb will study exoplanets which are 30 00:01:56,000 --> 00:02:00,000 planets that are in orbit around other stars. And there’s a very powerful 31 00:02:00,000 --> 00:02:04,000 technique that we can use when the planet goes across the 32 00:02:04,000 --> 00:02:08,000 face of its host star and the light from the star goes 33 00:02:08,000 --> 00:02:12,000 through the atmosphere of the planet on its way to our telescope. 34 00:02:12,000 --> 00:02:16,000 When that happens we can determine the 35 00:02:16,000 --> 00:02:20,000 constituents of that atmosphere, what it’s made up and does it have organic 36 00:02:20,000 --> 00:02:24,000 chemistry with molecules like methane and 37 00:02:24,000 --> 00:02:28,000 water. So Webb will study planets like 38 00:02:28,000 --> 00:02:32,000 gas giant planets like Jupiter and Saturn in our 39 00:02:32,000 --> 00:02:36,000 own solar system. But we can also take it down to 40 00:02:36,000 --> 00:02:40,000 Earth-like planets, small rocky planets, that may even have liquid 41 00:02:40,000 --> 00:02:44,000 water on their surface. This is what we think are the conditions 42 00:02:44,000 --> 00:02:48,000 for there to be life on other planets. [slate] 43 00:02:48,000 --> 00:02:52,000 [slate] 44 00:02:52,000 --> 00:02:56,000 Webb is such a big telescope - 21 feet in diameter - 45 00:02:56,000 --> 00:03:00,000 that it’s too big to fit inside the rocket that we’re launching on. 46 00:03:00,000 --> 00:03:04,000 So we have to fold it up like origami 47 00:03:04,000 --> 00:03:08,000 or like a transformer. So after the launch 48 00:03:08,000 --> 00:03:12,000 all of the pieces of Webb will fold out in space autonomously 49 00:03:12,000 --> 00:03:16,000 First a giant tennis court sized 50 00:03:16,000 --> 00:03:20,000 sunshield that protects Webb from the heat and light 51 00:03:20,000 --> 00:03:24,000 of the Sun. Next we’ll fold out the side wings of 52 00:03:24,000 --> 00:03:28,000 the primary mirror and the secondary mirror so that the 53 00:03:28,000 --> 00:03:32,000 telescope can work out in space and collect the light 54 00:03:32,000 --> 00:03:36,000 from the distant stars and galaxies. This is a huge engineering 55 00:03:36,000 --> 00:03:40,000 feat requiring thousands of engineers working over 56 00:03:40,000 --> 00:03:44,000 the years to put this together and to test it to make sure it’s all 57 00:03:44,000 --> 00:03:48,000 going to work when it’s in space. [slate] 58 00:03:48,000 --> 00:03:52,000 [slate] 59 00:03:52,000 --> 00:03:56,000 Well the best way to keep up to date with Webb is to just look at the 60 00:03:56,000 --> 00:04:00,000 website nasa.gov. But for the launch itself 61 00:04:00,000 --> 00:04:04,000 you can watch that on NASA TV. And if you want 62 00:04:04,000 --> 00:04:08,000 really interested and want to keep up to date with what 63 00:04:08,000 --> 00:04:12,000 is happening from day to day after the launch, we have a blog 64 00:04:12,000 --> 00:04:16,000 Blogs.nasa.gov/webb - w.e.b.b 65 00:04:16,000 --> 00:04:20,000 [slate] 66 00:04:20,000 --> 00:04:24,000 I’ve worked on this telescope in my current capability 67 00:04:24,000 --> 00:04:28,000 since 2002. Almost 20 years. When I started 68 00:04:28,000 --> 00:04:32,000 working on Webb my children were little, they were 69 00:04:32,000 --> 00:04:36,000 in kindergarten. And now they’re going to college 70 00:04:36,000 --> 00:04:40,000 and even out of college. So it’s a little bit the same way 71 00:04:40,000 --> 00:04:44,000 working on Webb for that long, I’ve seen it go from just a 72 00:04:44,000 --> 00:04:48,000 design to the hardware, the observatory, 73 00:04:48,000 --> 00:04:52,000 I’ve seen it all put together and now it’s going to be launched 74 00:04:52,000 --> 00:04:56,000 And that’s a little bit like sending your kids off to college. 75 00:04:56,000 --> 00:05:00,000 You’re really excited about what they’re going to do with their future 76 00:05:00,000 --> 00:05:04,000 but it’s a little bit sad to see it go as well. And that’s how I feel 77 00:05:04,000 --> 00:05:08,000 about Webb. Really excited about the science it’s going to do 78 00:05:08,000 --> 00:05:15,730 but this is a big change in the phase of the project as we 79 00:05:15,730 --> 00:05:15,733 go from building, to launching it, to using it.