What we do here is, we build the explorers
[satellites, spacecraft and probes] that go
onboard the spaceships. So anything that goes
up and kind of orbits the earth or goes out
to space and visits other planets, we’ll
build here, but other folks will build our
spaceships for us.
The James Webb Space Telescope itself is
meant to follow up the Hubble Telescope, so
there are a lot of differences and similarities.
So the Hubble [Telescope] orbited [moved around]
the earth; whereas James Webb [Space Telescope]
to do its work, it has to go literally almost
a million miles away from the earth. And it
needs to do that to look in what’s called
the Infrared Spectrum and it needs to operate
at a very cold temperature, we’re talking
like -400 degrees F [Fahrenheit] in order
to do what it needs to do.
So this is a scale model [smaller version]
of what the eventual James Webb Space Telescope
will look like. What we have here is called
a primary mirror and what happens is light
comes in, bounces off of here [the primary
mirror]; goes into the secondary mirror. There’s
a third mirror [behind the primary mirror]
and all of our science instruments are located
back here [behind the primary mirror]
What’s interesting here is with this big
primary mirror, it’s made out of all different
smaller mirrors and it’s about six times
larger than the Hubble mirror.
What we have down here [below the primary
mirror] is called the sun shield. We need
to keep all of these instruments cool, and
on this side [below the sun shield] warm.
So this side, over here, [the top of] the
sun shield, it’s almost like you have a
million SPF sunscreen protecting all of the
instruments up at the top.
What’s behind me is a very, one of the largest
clean rooms on the east coast. Everyone who
works in there has to have a clean room suit
and put on a mask and it’s very important
to keep clean because the James Webb Space Telescope is an optical item [relating to or using light].
So we don’t want anything like dust or smudges
or anything like that, or oils, to get onto
the mirrors.
Try your best in school and always try and
participate. I think one key trait here and
almost anywhere is the ability to speak and
listen. So if you’re able to answer questions
or ask questions in class and become comfortable
doing those things, that’ll help you out
in the long run, no matter what you do. If
you want something in engineering, looking
up things like mechanical engineering drawing
classes, things like that, that help you interpret
[understand] drawings, that will be beneficial.
For more information about the James Webb
Space Telescope, go to jwst.nasa.gov/
Watch a video about the Infrared Spectrum
at jwst.nasa.gov/beyondvisible.html
And to learn more about Space and Science,
visit Kids.gov.
