Energy News  
NASA Review Board Validates New Technologies On James Webb Space Telescope

The James Webb Space Telescope
by Staff Writers
Redondo Beach CA (SPX) May 03, 2007
All ten new technologies developed for NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) are mature enough to move into the detailed engineering phase. Northrop Grumman is the prime contractor, leading an industry team in the Webb's design and development under contract to NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) in Greenbelt, Md.

A team of experts assembled by NASA thoroughly reviewed the progress and status of the new technologies during a Technical Non-Advocate Review held in late January. The experts determined that all ten technologies have achieved Technology Readiness Level 6, which means the prototypes have been successfully tested in a relevant environment (simulating space).

"New technologies had to be pioneered for the Webb Telescope to perform its mission," said Martin Mohan, JWST program manager for Northrop Grumman's Space Technology sector. "These required tremendous expertise and hard work to bring them to the required level of maturity. We're pleased with the Review Board's validation of our progress to date, and we're ready to move forward and flight qualify our engineering designs."

The JWST program held this review more than one year prior to the mission preliminary design review to assure that all the new technologies were understood before proceeding further. The goal is to help reduce the risk of cost growth and schedule delays as the program moves further into development.

The technologies were developed under Northrop Grumman's and GSFC's leadership. They include: near-infrared detectors, sunshield materials, mid-infrared detectors, lightweight cryogenic mirrors, micro-shutter arrays, cryogenic detector readout application-specific integrated circuits, cryogenic heat switches, large precision cryogenic structures, wavefront sensing and control, and cryocoolers.

The Webb Telescope will explore far beyond the reach of current telescopes, peering into the near and mid-infrared at great distances to search for answers to astronomers' fundamental questions about the birth and evolution of galaxies, the size and shape of the universe and the mysterious life cycle of matter.

Email This Article

Related Links
Northrop Grumman
All about the technology of space and more

Galex Celebrates Four Years In Space
Cambridge, MA (SPX) May 02, 2007
In a new ultraviolet image, the magnificent M81 spiral galaxy is shown at the center. The orbiting observatory spies the galaxy's "sizzling young starlets" as wisps of bluish-white swirling around a central golden glow. The tints of gold at M81's center come from a "senior citizen" population of smoldering stars.







  • ADB To Lend India 79.3 Mln Dlrs For Wind Energy Project
  • Offshore Oilfield Development Could Enjoy Tax Breaks
  • Putin Vows To Develop Arctic Transport For Energy And National Interest
  • Cell Splits Water Via Sunlight To Produce Hydrogen

  • Nuclear Storm Gathers As Climate Change Experts Meet
  • Atomstroyexport Puts Chinese NPP's 2nd Unit To Minimum Capacity
  • UniStar Nuclear Identifies Constellation Energy's Calvert Cliffs As Site For First Potential New NPP
  • Dominion Signs Contract With GE Energy For Long-Lead Nuclear Components

  • Noxious Lightning
  • AIM Heads For Orbit
  • Satellites Offer Sunny Outlook On Understanding Polar Climate With Help Of Cloudy Skies
  • No Easy Solution To Indonesian Haze Problem

  • WHRC Scientists Creating National Biomass And Carbon Datas
  • How To Manage Forests In Hurricane Impact Zones
  • Museveni Defends Plans To Transfer Ugandan Forests To Indian Group
  • Greater Use Of Biofuels Threatens Rain Forests

  • Thai Scientists Fear Global Warming Could Empty World Rice Bowl
  • Climate Change Threatens Indonesian Rice Farmers
  • Asian Demand For Shark Fins Threatens Colombian Species
  • Fish Growth Enhanced By Climate Change

  • China Automobile Dream A Nightmare For Climate Change
  • Driverless Car Goes On Show In London
  • Made In USA Losing Cachet
  • Technique Creates Metal Memory And Could Lead To Vanishing Dents

  • Australia Fears Jet Flight Guilt Could Hit Tourism
  • Nondestructive Testing Keeps Bagram Aircraft Flying
  • New FAA Oceanic Air Traffic System Designed By Lockheed Martin Fully Operational
  • NASA Seeks New Research Proposals

  • Could NASA Get To Pluto Faster? Space Expert Says Yes - By Thinking Nuclear
  • NASA plans to send new robot to Jupiter
  • Los Alamos Hopes To Lead New Era Of Nuclear Space Tranportion With Jovian Mission
  • Boeing Selects Leader for Nuclear Space Systems Program

  • The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2006 - SpaceDaily.AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA PortalReports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additionalcopyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement