NASA's 'time machine' James Webb telescope to be launched in 2018 Gazette Standard

• Several innovative technologies have been developed for the Webb Telescope, which is targeted for launch in 2018, and is the successor to NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. 

• The space telescope in the works is a project led by NASA in partnership with the Canadian Space Agency and the European Space Agency. Well, with the new James Webb space telescope set to be launched in 2018 by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), mankind will be able to "go back in time" to see how some stars and galaxies we know today were formed.

• The telescope will be used not only to look into space but also peer into our past. The mirrors must remain precisely aligned in space in order for Webb to successfully carry out science investigations. "This starts the final assembly phase of the telescope". The segment measures over 4.2 feet (1.3 meters) across and weighs approximately 88 pounds (40 kilograms). The 18 primary mirror segments will work together as one large 21.3-foot (6.5-meter) mirror after being pieced together.

• The mirrors, built by Colorado-based Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corporation and installed by New York's Harris Corporation, are composed of super lightweight beryllium, selected for mechanical and thermal qualities at cryogenic temperature levels. 

• The wings and the telescope structure are crucial as they make up the carbon fiber framework poised to hold the 18 mirror segments and the primary mirror's tower. "The James Webb Space Telescope will be the premier astronomical observatory of the next decade", said John Grunsfeld, astronaut and associate administrator of the Science Mission Directorate at NASA headquarters in Washington.

Keywords - NASA's Hubble Space Telescope,NASA in partnership with the Canadian Space Agency and the European Space Agency,The mirrors, built by Colorado-based Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corporation.

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