Northrop Grumman Offers Public Unprecedented Access to James Webb Space Telescope
19 Février 2016 - 3:24PM
The public is invited to witness remarkable never before seen views
of NASA's James Webb Space Telescope in the new Discovery Channel
documentary film "TELESCOPE," by Oscar-nominated filmmaker
Nathaniel Kahn. Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) provided
Kahn with behind the scenes access to its Space Park facility in
Redondo Beach, where a substantial amount of the design,
engineering, assembly and testing of the Webb telescope is taking
place.
A photo accompanying this release is available at:
http://media.globenewswire.com/noc/mediagallery.html?pkgid=38996.
"TELESCOPE" spotlights the high-stakes mission of building the
Webb telescope. It will premiere on Discovery Channel Feb. 20 and
Science Channel Feb. 21 (check local listings for air times).
"TELESCOPE" gives viewers access to testing on the tennis court
sized-sunshield, the optical class spacecraft structure and the
telescope structure responsible for holding the Webb 18 hexagonal
primary mirror segments stably in space. The documentary film, also
supported by the Northrop Grumman Foundation, highlights the
innovative Starshade concept, being studied by Northrop Grumman,
NASA, and others. It is a mission using a large screen, shaped like
a set of flower petals, which would fly thousands of miles in front
of a space telescope. It would eclipse different stars as needed to
study planetary systems around the closest stars and perhaps find
signs of life. The exploration of stars and planets are highlighted
in Kahn's documentary film as well.
"TELESCOPE" is a comprehensive look at the dynamic history of
400 years of telescopes starting with Galileo in 1609. The Webb
telescope builds on Galileo's journey– looking at the beginning of
the universe, and that voyage continues as it prepares to launch
the Webb telescope 1 million miles away from Earth in 2018. The
Webb telescope, which is the scientific successor to the Hubble and
100 times more powerful, will peer back over 13.5 billion years
into the past.
Northrop Grumman is under contract to NASA's Goddard Space
Flight Center (GSFC) and leads the industry team that designs and
develops the Webb's telescope, sunshield and spacecraft. Northrop
Grumman has completed the integration, testing and delivery of the
telescope structure, which holds optical assemblies of the
telescope including its instruments and mirrors. The 18 hexagonal
segments, recently installed at GSFC, that comprise the 21.3 foot
mirror will assist scientists' observation of the formation of the
first stars and galaxies.
"It's tremendously exciting to be part of the company helping
build NASA's most powerful space telescope. Webb could transform
our understanding of the universe and be the first mission to
reveal signposts of life beyond our solar system," said Blake
Bullock a director at Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems in Redondo
Beach, who is featured in the documentary. "Having the opportunity
to inspire future generations of engineers and scientists through
our participation in this documentary is immensely rewarding."
Bullock recently participated in Discovery Channel's press
conference for "TELESCOPE" during the Television Critics
Association Conference in Pasadena Jan. 7. The event included an
unveiling of a first look at the footage of the film and a panel of
experts featured in the film from Northrop Grumman, the Space
Telescope Science Institute, the Association of Universities for
Research in Astronomy and the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology.
"The breakthrough technology of NASA's James Webb Space
Telescope pushes us into new frontiers of scientific discovery, and
we're thrilled to continue sharing that message with the world
through this documentary film," says Scott Willoughby, vice
president and James Webb Space Telescope program manager, Northrop
Grumman. "Participating in this documentary is important to us
because it shares the gift of science, engineering and technology
to a broader audience."
Northrop Grumman is a leading global security company providing
innovative systems, products and solutions in unmanned systems,
cyber, C4ISR, and logistics and modernization to government and
commercial customers worldwide. Please visit
www.northropgrumman.com for more information.
CONTACT: Connie Reese
310-812-3166
connie.reese@ngc.com
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