James Webb Space Telescope Insider Offers Insight From Behind The Scenes

Source: Pixabay

In a recent interview, Doctor Jane Rigby, the operations project scientist for the James Webb Space Telescope, discussed how they decide where in the universe to spend their attention and what aspects of the cosmos continue to astound them. She also disclosed the major questions that they are hoping to find answers to, along with other information.

Her job in the whole process is to put in the effort to both comprehend the scientific performance of the telescope and improve that performance to the highest possible level.
After the James Webb telescope had been launched and had arrived at its location, the first step was to unpack it, and then the next step was to ensure that all of its mirrors could function as a single large mirror.

According to Dr. Rigby, she is often in charge of linking various elements of the project. This is because there were more than 500 hundred individuals who worked on commissioning the telescope, while more than 20000 people worked on constructing it.

What criteria do they use to choose where to look?

Dr. Rigbysaid that the selection of sites is based of proposals, which are then evaluated by peers comprised of industry professionals. The procedure is carried out in secret, and the majority of the recommendations are rejected. They construct a timeline based on the final bids in order to ensure that the James Webb Telescope will have time for all of the projects.

Where there any surprises?

According to Dr. Rigby, the performance of the James Webb Telescope is unsurpassed. He also mentioned that the greatest surprise for the crew was that they did not have any surprises. It would seem that the whole of the project was carried out in accordance with the plan and that there were no unexpected occurrences throughout the procedure.

Susan Kowal
Susan Kowal is a serial entrepreneur, angel investor/advisor, and health enthusiast.