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Model of the James Webb Space Telescope
Credit: SPACE.com/Nola Taylor Redd
A 1/20th scale model of the James Webb Space Telescope sits at the Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems office in Redondo Beach, Calif.
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JWST Program Manager Scott Willoughby
Credit: SPACE.com/Nola Taylor Redd
JWST Program Manager Scott Willoughby discusses the construction milestones of the ambitious space observatory.
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JWST's Bus
Credit: SPACE.com/Nola Taylor Redd
JWST's 10-foot-wide bus contains the spacecraft's instruments and engines.
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Structures of JWST Main Body
Credit: SPACE.com/Nola Taylor Redd
JWST Program Manager Scott Willoughby shows off the different structures of the main body of the James Webb Space Telescope.
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JWST's Reinforced Bus
Credit: SPACE.com/Nola Taylor Redd
JWST's bus is reinforced to withstand the stresses of its journey into space. "A lot of what goes into the structural design is surviving the launch," said JWST Program Manager Scott Willoughby.
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JWST Bus
Credit: SPACE.com/Nola Taylor Redd
JWST's bus is reinforced to withstand the stresses of its journey into space. "A lot of what goes into the structural design is surviving the launch," said JWST Program Manager Scott Willoughby.
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One of the 18 JWST Mirrors
Credit: SPACE.com/Nola Taylor Redd
An example of one of the eighteen hexagonal mirrors that JWST will carry. The final mirrors will have a thin coat of gold to increase their reflectiveness.
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JWST Mirrors
Credit: SPACE.com/Nola Taylor Redd
Scott Willoughby, Northrop Grumman's program manager for JWST, explains that the final mirrors were tested in groups of six.
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The Sunshield of JWST
Credit: SPACE.com/Nola Taylor Redd
The largest part of the James Webb Space Telescope is the five-layer sunshield, which measures 69.5 feet by 46.5 feet (22 by 12 meters) when extended.
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Replica of the Sunshield
Credit: SPACE.com/Nola Taylor Redd
A space-ready replica of the sunshield is extended. Each layer is either 1- or 2-thousandths of an inch thick.
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10,000 inches of Seams
Credit: SPACE.com/Nola Taylor Redd
The ridged structure of one of the 10,000 inches of seams that help the sunshield on the JWST maintain a 3D shape rather than lie flat.
