is the next premier space observatory.
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It will extend the discoveries of the Hubble Space telescope.
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And observe the birthplaces of planets, stars and galaxies.
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It is named after James Webb.
NASA's second administrator
and champion of many NASA science missions.
At 3 stories high and the size of a tennis court
it will be the largest telescope ever sent into space.
And 100 times more powerful than Hubble.
It is so big it has to fold to fit in the rocket only 5.5 meters wide.
And unfold segment by segment, once in space.
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Webb’s mirrors are coated with a super thin layer of gold
that is about 1000 atoms thick to optimize their reflectivity in the infrared.
Webb will launch from French Guiana in 2018.
It is launched near the equator
because the faster spin of Earth there gives the rocket an extra push.
Webb will orbit the sun 1 million miles from Earth
at the second Sun-Earth Lagrange point
where the telescope will operate below -390 F.
The telescope will observe infrared light with unprecedented sensitivity. It will see the first galaxies
born after the Big Bang over 13.5 billion years ago.
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Webb's infrared cameras are so sensitive
they must block light from the Sun, Earth, and Moon.
The 5-layer sunshield is like having sunblock of SPF 1 million.
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Webb is an international mission
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with contributions from the European Space Agency and Canadian Space Agency
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Scientists all over the world will be able to use Webb
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to further into space and back into time
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than ever before
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