Science Museum Oklahoma: So You Want to Launch a Telescope?

The launch of the James Webb Space Telescope in December has us very excited about what we may learn about our universe. We will have to be patient though, because after the telescope launches by rocket from French Guiana it will have to travel to an orbit about 1,000,000 miles away and then unfold and prepare to do its work of collecting information. Let’s get to know the James Webb Space Telescope and what equipment it will use, especially infrared, or IR, imaging. Let’s investigate how such a large and powerful craft can even fit into the rocket. Let’s figure out what origami, or folding, has to do with launching objects into space. Let’s design and build a rocket than can carry a folded payload. Then let’s test our rockets by launching them through the power of air. Oh yeah, and how big is a million anyway?

NASA@ My Library is offered by the National Center for Interactive Learning (NCIL) at the Space Science Institute (SSI) in partnership with the ALA Public Programs Office, Lunar and Planetary Institute (LPI) and Education Development Center (EDC). This material is based upon work supported by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration under cooperative agreement No. NNX16AE30A. This work was also assisted and supported by the Space Science Institute, which was the recipient of the cooperative agreement. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of NASA or the Space Science Institute.