First Flight Instrument Delivered For James Webb Space Telescope

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June 14, 2012

J.D. Harrington 
Headquarters, Washington      
202-358-5241                     
j.d.harrington@xxxxxxxx 

Rob Gutro 
Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. 
301-286-4044 
robert.j.gutro@xxxxxxxx 


RELEASE: 12-198

FIRST FLIGHT INSTRUMENT DELIVERED FOR JAMES WEBB SPACE TELESCOPE

WASHINGTON -- The first of four instruments to fly aboard NASA's James 
Webb Space Telescope (Webb) has been delivered to NASA. The 
Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) will allow scientists to study cold 
and distant objects in greater detail than ever before. 

MIRI arrived at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., 
May 29. It has been undergoing inspection before being integrated 
into Webb's science instrument payload known as the Integrated 
Science Instrument Module (ISIM). 

Assembled at and shipped from the Science and Technology Facilities 
Council's Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in the United Kingdom, MIRI 
was developed by a consortium of 10 European institutions and NASA's 
Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, Calif., after having 
been handed over to the European Space Agency. 

MIRI will observe light with wavelengths in the mid-infrared range of 
5 microns to 28 microns, which is a longer wavelength than human eyes 
can detect. It is the only instrument of the four with this 
particular ability to observe the physical processes occurring in the 
cosmos. 
"MIRI will enable Webb to distinguish the oldest galaxies from more 
evolved objects that have undergone several cycles of star birth and 
death," said Matt Greenhouse, ISIM project scientist at Goddard. 
"MIRI also will provide a unique window into the birth places of 
stars which are typically enshrouded by dust that shorter wavelength 
light cannot penetrate." 

MIRI's sensitive detectors will allow it to observe light, cool stars 
in very distant galaxies; unveil newly forming stars within our Milky 
Way; find signatures of the formation of planets around stars other 
than our own; and take imagery and spectroscopy of planets, comets 
and the outermost bits of debris in our solar system. MIRI's images 
will enable scientists to study an object's shape and structure. 

The most powerful space telescope ever built, Webb is the successor to 
NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. Webb's four instruments will reveal 
how the universe evolved from the Big Bang to the formation of our 
solar system. Webb is a joint project of NASA, the European Space 
Agency and the Canadian Space Agency. 

To view two "Behind the Webb" videos about MIRI, visit: 


http://go.nasa.gov/LQUFC9 


http://go.nasa.gov/LQUPta 

For more information about the mid- and near-infrared spectrum, visit: 



http://www.jwst.nasa.gov/faq.html#ir 

For more information about NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, visit: 

www.jwst.nasa.gov 

	
-end-



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