Its mission is to find the first galaxies that formed when the universe was young. It will try to connect the progress of the Big Bang and how the Milky Way Galaxy came into being. Webb will peer through dusty clouds to see stars forming planetary systems, connecting the Milky Way to the Solar System. Webb's instruments will be designed to work primarily in the infrared range of the electromagnetic spectrum, with some capability in the visible range.
The space telescope will have a large mirror, 6.5 meters (21.3 feet) in diameter and a sunshield the size of a tennis court. Both the mirror and sunshade won't fit onto the rocket fully open, so both will fold up and open once Webb is in outer space. Webb will reside in an orbit about 1.5 million km (1 million miles) from the Earth.
The James Webb Space Telescope was named after the NASA Administrator who crafted the Apollo program, and who was a staunch supporter of space science.
After the Canadarm, the Canadeyes for the future Webb
Two instruments whose development was led by by the University of Montreal's Professor René Doyon, known by the acronyms NIRISS and FGS, will be integrated into the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST or Webb for short) that will replace Hubble in 2018. The twin instruments leave Canada today and will arrive at NASA at the end of July. « NIRISS will be involved in the discovery and study of Earth-sized exoplanets and the most distant galaxies whilst FGS will have the critical task of ensuring that Webb is precisely aimed at its target, 1.5 million km from Earth," said Professor Doyon, from the physics department of l'Université de Montréal, Director of Mont-Mégantic Observatory and member of the Centre for research in astrophysics of Quebec (CRAQ)
The Webb is a joint project between the American (NASA), European (ESA) and Canadian (CSA) space agencies. The launch date is scheduled for 2018. The telescopes' mission will be to study the stars and galaxies dating back to the time they formed a few hundreds millions after the Big Bang and it will also search for planetary systems capable of supporting the development of life. Webb will be the successor of the well known Hubble telescope that was launched 22 years ago. "Unlike Hubble, whose orbit is 400 km from Earth's surface, Webb will be positioned 1.5 million km from our planet – that's five times the distance between Earth and the Moon," explained Professor Doyon. "At this distance, its instruments will be in a stable and extremely cold environment. In fact, as it is protected from the sun by a sunshield the size of a tennis court, Webb and its instruments will be cooled to -230 degrees Celsius, which enable it to attain unparalleled levels of sensitivity."
