WEBVTT FILE 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.