NASA unveils first image of James Webb Space Telescope
Dr Caroline Harper spoke after US President Joe Biden revealed webb‘s first full-color image of distant galaxies, more than six months after the spacecraft launched into space — and before four more images were revealed by NASA today (Tuesday). Speaking at the White House, Mr Biden praised the statue as “a new window into the history of our universe”, adding: “Today we will glimpse the first light that shines through that window: light from other worlds, orbiting stars far beyond ours. It’s amazing to me.”
dr. Harper, speaking about Britain’s contribution to the project ahead of the release of the first image, told Express.co.uk: “James Webb is the next major observatory in space and we have led the European consortium that of the four scientific instruments on board.
“So I guess you’d say we’re at the core of developing the scientific tools for James Webb, but we’re also at the forefront of the scientific discoveries that will be made.”
Teams applied to NASA through a competitive process for time to use the telescope in its first year, and of the successful proposals, more were led by a British researcher than any other non-US country, explained Dr. Harper out.
She added: “We are at the heart of development on the instrument side, and we will also be at the forefront of science and this is obviously important because it shows what we can do in the UK, we have these excellent scientists and engineers, it shows the UK as a good place to do research and do business.”
The technology developed for use on Webb had implications for multiple other areas, Dr. harper.
She explained: “It’s partly about putting the UK at the top of international space science research, but it’s also about the technological push that comes from having to design and develop instruments that are going to do something that has never been done before.” and in the future harsh environment of space.
Southern Ring Nebula, in breathtaking detail (Image: NASA)
“The technological challenges are enormous, I think that goes without saying. What we usually find is that we work on developing something for a space science mission and then find that there are many tasks that can be applied and the technology can be used here on Earth as well.
“For James Webb, the technique they had to develop to align all the mirror segments as precisely as needed to make it work as one large mirror technique didn’t exist, and it had to be invented.
“It was invented in the US and it requires such precision that they now use it in diagnosing eye disease and laser eye surgery.”
dr. Harper said, “Until you try these things, you never really know what you’re going to get, but what you do know is that if you don’t push the boundaries, you won’t find anything new.”
James Webb is especially groundbreaking because of the dizzying size of the mirror, which is 21.6 feet wide.
dr. Harper added: “A mirror of this size has never flown into space and of course they had to learn how to build it in segments, fold it up to launch it and then open it up and align it meticulously.
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Stephan’s Quintet, a visual grouping of five galaxies (Image: NASA)
“I think James Webb’s mirror is about 100 times more sensitive than Hubble, so it can see 100 times weaker light and that means it can see further away and because light has a speed limit that means further into the past. That’s still never done before.
“And of course the performance of the tools on the web is constantly improving from what was possible in the past.
“It is always on the cutting edge. You’re never going to launch anything into space and take all that expense and risk and the rest unless it’s something cutting edge and brand new. So we are constantly pushing the boundaries. And that’s why it’s so exciting that the UK is leading the way.”
It was impossible to overstate the importance of the telescope’s potential to expand humanity’s understanding of the universe, Dr. harper.
She said: “I’m not exaggerating when I say it’s going to rewrite bits of the astronomy textbooks.
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Cosmic cliffs in Carina (Image: NASA)
It is going to radically change our understanding of the universe and our place in it
“Scientists say they can now see things they’ve never seen before.
“They learned things about the universe that they didn’t know until they saw those images.
“It will revolutionize our understanding of the universe and our place in it, because it will also look at the atmospheres of exoplanets.
“It’s not just going to look at distant galaxies and stars, it’s going to do spectroscopic analysis of the atmospheres of exoplanets orbiting other stars, just a handful of them, but it’s going to do that and of course looking for different elements in the atmospheres is free important.
“The elements that we find in our atmosphere around Earth changed as life evolved on Earth. So they’re looking for evidence of possible habitability or life. So it’s a huge deal.”
James Webb Fact File (Image: Express)
One of James Webb’s key devices is the Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI), developed and built by a consortium of nationally funded European institutions (the MIRI European Consortium), for which the UK-based Airbus Defense and Space provides the systems engineering and management provided. support.
The head of science at Airbus Defense and Space UK, Dr. Ralph Cordey, told Express.co.uk: “MIRI is one of the key tools at JWST and will help scientists see some of the first luminescent objects after the Big Bang.
“Project management of the £95 million instrument has been a huge challenge and a privilege – coordinating with outstanding talent in academia and research institutions in the UK and around the world.
“It was a great achievement when MIRI was shipped from the UK to the US ten years ago and everyone who has worked on it can’t wait to see the first images of not only MIRI but the other instruments at JWST as well. “
NASA today (Tuesday) unveiled a series of spectacular new photos taken by James Webb.
Another view of the cosmic cliffs in Carina (Image: NASA)
NASA administrator Bill Nelson said at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, “You should have seen the president and vice president last night. They were like kids. They asked a million questions about many different things.”
Nelson added: “This morning people all over the planet will see these images and each image is a new discovery that will give humanity a view of the universe that we have never seen before.
“You will see the formation of stars, devouring black holes, it will reveal it all. This telescope will be able to penetrate through dust clouds by infrared and will be able to see light from far corners of the universe.
“There have been setbacks along the way, but perseverance has got us here today.
“It is this progress that drives us forward and gives us inspiration. Rockets run on fuel, but inspiration is the fuel that drives NASA and humanity.”