Announcement: Final Stage Preparations For James Webb Telescope Launch Underway

First Posted: Mar 25, 2017 05:14 AM EDT
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James Webb Telescope is quite possibly the most ingenious scientific instrument that has ever been made by men. According to the scientists working on it, the telescope will help in unraveling many celestial mysteries. The most important questions that the telescope will seek an answer to are as follows: Was the first ever galaxy to be formed of the Big Bang? Can the TRAPPIST 1 planets support the existence of alien life?

The telescope is designed to catch the faintest of the signals coming from outer space. This enables it to search and explore the possibility of existence of habitable planets in distant star systems. James Webb Space Telescope is the first of its kind, which is designed with mobile parts. It will be launched into space in 2018, and the scientists from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center are busy doing the final stage testing.

NASA is taking all necessary steps to keep the press and public updated about the progress of the telescope. The JWST NASA web page is regularly updated with the latest images and videos of the telescope. These include some highly interesting and spooky images from inside the clean room where the telescope is present.

Engadget published a detailed analysis of one such image, which was captured during one of the "vibration tests" of the telescope. The article quoted the image as "ghostly" and spooky. It later on explained that the image was taken in complete darkness while the "contamination control engineers" were scanning the telescope with ultraviolet flashlights.

The image was originally captured by Chris Gunn, the official NASA photographer. It was later on posted by NASA. In the image, people standing nearby the telescope appear as if they are some floating ghostly entities, Concord Register reported.

The telescope is expected to be shipped off to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, where it will undergo the space environment test. In the meantime, NASA has planned to provide people across the world a behind-the-scene sneak peek into the world's largest clean room where the James Webb Space Telescope is presently stationed. The event is expected to be broadcast on March 30, Thursday, at 6 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. ET.

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