James Webb Space Telescope Launch will be a long-awaited Christmas present for many
At the time of this writing, The James Webb Space Telescope is tentatively scheduled to launch in to Space at 7:20 am EST on Christmas Day.
It will be strong enough to detect energy from the very beginning of the universe. Scientists also hope it will be useful in uncovering planets similar to earth, that might support life.
"Web will try to answer the question we all ask ourselves, 'Are we alone? I mean, is Earth unique?'"
Antonella Nota, the European Space Agency's Project Scientist for both the Hubble and the much anticipated James Webb space telescopes, says this newest project will join it's predecessor in the final frontier, more than 30 years later.
"Oh Hubble launched in 1990, March of 1990."
Getting older, the Hubble Space Telescope is still doing important work thanks to update missions as recently as 2009.
"The Technology is old, but let's remember that Hubble was actually upgraded five times in orbit by astronauts."
Still, the upcoming launch of the world's newest space instrument is expected to vastly improve the way scientists scan the universe.
"We have to remember that the James Webb Space Telescope is hundred times more powerful than Hubble."
Not only is the Webb stronger than Hubble, it's also functionally different.
"It will be observing in the infrared, so a different part of the spectrum from Hubble."
"Hubble observes in the ultraviolet and optical. So optical is the part that the eye can see, so Hubble sees like the human eye. If we go to more energetic part of the spectrum, it's ultraviolet."
See, Webb won't actually be replacing Hubble. Instead, they'll be working in tandem.
"Together, they will cover the entire range, and that's why the synergy will be so powerful, because astronomers need the full compliment just to understand what they see, and Webb will contribute that infrared part that has been missing so far, but with an incredibly powerful complimentary instruments. "
Part of the new instrumentation is a sun shield the size of a tennis court. There's no doubt that technology has come a long way since the implementation of the Hubble Space Telescope in the early 90's, but crews still have to get this massive and complex telescope into orbit.
"Because it's like an origami telescope. It has, the mirror has to fold, the sun shield has to fold, and it has to fit inside the rocket."
"Will start the journey to its final destination which is the Lagrange point 2, one million miles away, and during that month of journey, it will unfold again, it will unfurl."
Nota says seeing this telescope launch into space will be a special gift to crews around the world who have worked on this project.
"It will be the best Christmas present, I have to tell you because we have been waiting so long, and I think it will be, this you know we are witnessing an historical moment and we are all part of it at some level."
