APPLIED PHYSICS/PHYSICS COLLOQUIUM: Garth Illingworth, University of California Santa Cruz - “JWST is the most ambitious astronomy mission ever. What did it take to make JWST a reality, and how is it progressing towards revealing its extraordinary science

Date
Tue April 26th 2022, 3:30pm
Event Sponsor
Applied Physics/Physics Colloquium
Department of Physics

Stanford University

APPLIED PHYSICS/PHYSICS COLLOQUIUM

 

Tuesday, April 26, 2022

3:30 p.m. on campus in Hewlett Teaching Center, Rm. 200

Refreshments served in Varian lobby at 4:45 p.m.

Face coverings required in classrooms

 

Zoom link: https://stanford.zoom.us/j/91972639360


  Password: email skannan [at] stanford.edu (skannan[at]stanford[dot]edu) for password

 

Garth Illingworth

University of California Santa Cruz

 

JWST is the most ambitious astronomy mission ever. What did it take to make JWST a reality, and how is it progressing towards revealing its extraordinary science capabilities?

 

 

JWST is an astronomy mission that exceeds all others in capability. JWST cost more than any other astronomy mission at launch, approached only by Hubble. JWST is far more complex than any other space science mission. Its flawless Ariane 5 launch and the remarkable success of the complex deployments are a testament to the engineering and management commitment of thousands of people in the US and in our partner nations (the European ESA and Canadian CSA). Yet there is a further dimension to a mission like JWST — and that is the crucial support of our policy and decision makers and those of our partners. I will give a status update as commissioning unfolds, a broad overview of the multi-faceted challenges that JWST faced, and overcame, over several decades from its conceptual beginnings as NGST in the 1980s, and highlight the remarkable scientific opportunities offered by JWST.