- More powerful than Hubble, James Webb will peer into the depths of the universe from 2013
- Astrium, European industrial partner on the project
- Astrium exhibits the tennis-court-sized satellite (when deployed) at the Deutsches Museum
The James Webb Space Telescope is a collaborative development
project between the American (NASA), Canadian (CSA) and European (ESA)
space agencies, and is due to be launched in 2013.
Astrium is involved in the build and development of two of the four scientific instruments for the space observatory.
The Near Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec), a 200-kilogramme
spectrometer capable of detecting the faintest infrared light, is being
built in Germany. It can register up to a hundred objects
simultaneously in the spectra, which will prolong the scientists’
observation period a hundredfold.
“Astrium is the industrial partner for Europe’s contribution to
this latest-generation space telescope. We are equipping scientists
with the best possible instruments, thus laying the foundations for
outstanding research. NIRSpec must weigh as little as possible, must
work at minus 238° Celsius, and must not fail. These are the very
demanding requirements our engineers are having to meet,” Astrium Satellites CEO Evert Dudok told journalists in Munich. NIRSpec thus represents a new class of space-based spectrographs.
The Mid Infrared Instrument (MIRI) is currently being developed by a
European consortium of 21 institutes from 10 ESA member states as well
as 2 NASA facilities. Astrium engineers at the
Stevenage site provide the project and systems engineering management
plus product assurance expertise to the 10-nation European consortium.
The JWST represents a quantum leap for scientists seeking the
origins of our universe, as it will be able to see much further into
space than its predecessor, the Hubble space telescope. Because the
light coming from these distant realms of outer space takes several
billion years to reach the Earth, JWST will literally be looking back
in time. This is made possible in the first instance by the new
telescope’s significantly larger primary mirror, comprised of 18
individual hexagonal segments; these will only be unfolded in space.
Secondly, the instruments on board the JWST are much more sensitive
than those on the Hubble telescope.
The full-scale JWST model has already crossed the Atlantic several
times. In addition to Seattle, Orlando, Washington and Montreal, it has
also been on display in Paris and Dublin. It took four days to set up
the model in Munich. The workshop behind this display was initiated by
NASA and attended by all the partners involved the JWST project. These
workshops are held at regular intervals, each time in a different
place. This year, Astrium is the host and is teaming up with the
Deutsches Museum to bring the JWST mission closer to the general public.
The JWST model will be on display 24 hours a day at the Deutsches
Museum which, together with Astrium, will be organising a variety of
related activities during the two-week exhibition. For example
schoolchildren will be given a general introduction to astronomy and
the missions of the space telescope. There will also be a lecture on
the technological and scientific challenges of the project by John C.
Mather, senior project scientist for the JWST, Nobel Prize winner and
member of NASA. Another highlight will be the Lange Nacht der Museen
(Long Night of Museums) on 25 October, when experts from Astrium GmbH
will be on hand at the display to talk to interested visitors.
Astrium, a wholly owned subsidiary of EADS, is dedicated to providing civil and defence space systems and services. In 2007, Astrium
had a turnover of €3.5 billion and 12,000 employees in France, Germany,
the United Kingdom, Spain and the Netherlands. Its three main areas of
activity are Astrium Space Transportation for launchers and orbital infrastructure, Astrium Satellites for spacecraft and ground segment and its wholly owned subsidiary Astrium Services for the development and delivery of satellite services.
EADS is a global leader in aerospace, defence and related services.
In 2007, EADS generated revenues of €39.1 billion and employed a
workforce of more than 116, 000.
Media contacts:
Matthieu Duvelleroy (Astrium FR) Phone: +33 (0) 1 77 75 80 32
Jeremy Close (Astrium UK) Phone: +44 (0)1 438 77 3872
Mathias Pikelj (Astrium GER) Phone: +49 (0) 7545 89123
Francisco Lechón (Astrium SP) Phone: +34 91 586 37 41
http://www.astrium.eads.net
Deutsches Museum, Munich
Bernhard Weidemann Phone: +49 (0) 89 2179 281
