Caption: Scientists working on the Webb Telescope say it's so revolutionary, it’s like “our generation’s Apollo.”
Scientists working on the Webb Telescope say it's so revolutionary, it’s like “our generation’s Apollo.” 

An Extra-Chilly Successor To Hubble

From: Rebecca Sheir
Length: 06:22

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Come winter, your neck of the woods may be cold. But guess how frigid the James Webb Space Telescope will be when it launches in 2018? 400 degrees Fahrenheit below zero. For real. Read the full description.
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An Extra-Chilly Successor To Hubble
From
Rebecca Sheir

Jwst_small Think about the last time you were cold. As in, teeth-chattering, goosebump-raising, shivering-in-your-boots cold. You were probably outside, and the temperature very well could have been below zero. Washington, D.C.'s lowest recorded temperature is 15 degrees below zero. And in a slightly colder place - such as Alaska -- it's more like 80 below.

But if you take that last number - 80 degrees below zero - and multiply it by five, you'll get an idea of just how cold the James Webb Space Telescope will be after it's launched a million miles from Earth, in the year 2018. Those super-cold temps help keep the telescope's images clear. And as Rebecca Sheir tells us, that's a good thing, since the Webb Telescope will be doing some pretty out-of-this-world research...

An Extra-Chilly Successor To Hubble | 06:22

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Piece Description

Think about the last time you were cold. As in, teeth-chattering, goosebump-raising, shivering-in-your-boots cold. You were probably outside, and the temperature very well could have been below zero. Washington, D.C.'s lowest recorded temperature is 15 degrees below zero. And in a slightly colder place - such as Alaska -- it's more like 80 below.

But if you take that last number - 80 degrees below zero - and multiply it by five, you'll get an idea of just how cold the James Webb Space Telescope will be after it's launched a million miles from Earth, in the year 2018. Those super-cold temps help keep the telescope's images clear. And as Rebecca Sheir tells us, that's a good thing, since the Webb Telescope will be doing some pretty out-of-this-world research...

Broadcast History

This piece originally aired on WAMU 88.5's Metro Connection, on January 13, 2012.

Intro and Outro

INTRO:

OUTRO:

Rebecca Sheir is the host of Metro Connection, on W-A-M-U 88-5 in Washington, D-C.

Related Website

http://wamu.org/programs/metro_connection/12/01/13/nasa_builds_an_extra_chilly_successor_to_hubble

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Production Information

  • Added to PRX ~1 year ago
  • Produced: Jan 12, 2012
  • Producers: Rebecca Sheir

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