At a ceremony held Monday at NASA Headquarters in
\nWashington, NASA Deputy Administrator Shana Dale and Canadian Space
\nAgency (CSA) President and Chief Executive Officer Laurier J.
\nBoisvert signed the official agreement that defines the terms of the
\nagencies’ cooperation on the James Webb Space Telescope. <\/p>\n
According to the agreement, NASA will be responsible for the overall
\nmanagement and operations of the mission and will build the
\nspacecraft, the telescope, and the platform that will host the
\ninstruments.<\/p>\n
“We’re delighted to have the Canadian Space Agency’s participation on
\nthe James Webb Telescope,” said Dale. “This unique telescope is a
\nwonderful example of international cooperation, and Canada is a key
\npartner in this next major step to discover more about the origins of
\nthe cosmos.”<\/p>\n
The Canadian Space Agency plans to provide the fine guidance sensor
\ninstrument, used for locating and maintaining a fixed pointing on a
\nguide star. This instrument will provide the observatory with the
\nstability necessary for taking sharp images with the telescope. The
\nagency will assist in the operation of the James Webb Space Telescope
\nand related facilities and arrange for participation of astronomers
\nfrom the Canadian science team in the observation program.<\/p>\n
“Canada’s collaboration on the James Webb Space Telescope,” Boisvert
\nsaid, “strengthens our outstanding and longstanding partnership with
\nNASA and positions Canadian science and technology in the forefront
\nof space exploration.”
\n
\nAlthough optimized to operate over a different range of wavelengths,
\nthe James Webb Space Telescope is considered to be the successor to
\nthe Hubble Space Telescope. Its launch is targeted for 2013, and the
\ntelescope is designed to operate for at least five years.<\/p>\n
The telescope is a mission of international cooperation among NASA,
\nCSA and the European Space Agency to investigate the origin and
\nevolution of galaxies, stars and planetary systems.<\/p>\n
At the heart of the observatory is a large telescope whose primary
\nmirror is more than two and a half times larger than that on Hubble,
\nproviding a relatively large field of view. The mirror for the James
\nWebb Space Telescope is 21.3 ft in diameter; Hubble’s mirror is 7.9
\nft. in diameter.<\/p>\n
A set of four sophisticated instruments, including the fine guidance
\nsensor, will combine superb imaging capability at visible and
\ninfrared wavelengths with various spectroscopic modes to learn about
\nthe chemistry and evolution of the objects populating our universe.<\/p>\n
The telescope will operate considerably outside the Earth’s atmosphere
\nat a point in deep space four times farther than the moon’s orbit, in
\nthe direction opposite to the sun. This area, located approximately 1
\nmillion miles away, is known as the second Lagrange point. From this
\nlocation, the observatory is expected to enable new scientific
\ndiscoveries about the cosmos, just as Hubble does.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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