Cape Canaveral Jan. 8 (BUS): NASA’s new space telescope opened its massive gold-plated flower-shaped mirror Saturday, the latest step in the observatory’s dramatic opening.
The last part of the 21-foot (6.5 meters) mirror swung into place by order of flight controllers, completing the detection of the James Webb Space Telescope, according to the Associated Press.
“I’m emotional about it. What an amazing teacher. We’re seeing this beautiful pattern in the sky right now,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, NASA’s Chief of Science Missions.
More powerful than the Hubble Space Telescope, the $10 billion Webb will scan the universe for light streaming from the first stars and galaxies that formed 13.7 billion years ago.
To achieve this, NASA had to equip Webb with the largest and most sensitive mirror ever launched – its “golden eye,” as scientists call it.
The Webb is so large that it had to be folded origami style to fit the rocket that flew over from South America two weeks ago. The most dangerous operation occurred earlier in the week, when a sun visor the size of a tennis court opened, providing subzero shade for the mirror and infrared detectors.
Flight controllers in Baltimore began opening the primary mirror on Friday, opening the left side like a table with drooping wings. The mood was more upbeat on Saturday, with racy music filling the control room while the right-hand side settled into place. After clapping, the consoles immediately went back to work, shutting down everything.
This mirror is made of beryllium, a lightweight, strong and cold-resistant metal. Each of its eighteen parts are coated with a very thin layer of gold, highly reflective of infrared light.
Hexagons the size of a coffee table must be adjusted in the coming days and weeks so that they can focus on stars, galaxies and strange worlds that may bear the atmospheric signs of life.
Webb should reach his destination 1 million miles (1.6 million km) within another two weeks. If all goes well, scientific observations will begin this summer. Astronomers hope to go back 100 million years from the formation of the Big Bang, closer than Hubble achieved.
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