The backplane of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope looks like the springs in a mattress. In this photo, you see the central part of the three-part backplane, tilted to its side, much like a mattress being carried.
Eighteen hexagonal polished metal segments that together comprise the largest mirror on the Webb telescope will rest on the backplane.
This is the center section of the actual backplane that will fly on the Webb telescope. The backplane also has two “wings” or other sections that attach to each side. The photograph was taken at Northrop Grumman’s clean room in Redondo Beach, California.
The Webb’s giant mirrors will collect light from galaxies farther away and further back in time than ever seen before.
The James Webb Space Telescope is the successor to NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. It will be the most powerful space telescope ever built. Webb is an international project led by NASA with its partners, the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency.
Learn more about the Webb telescope at: www.jwst.nasa.gov or www.nasa.gov/webb
Text credit: Rob Gutro, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland
Image credit: Chris Gunn, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland