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Viewers like you make
this program possible.
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Support your local PBS station.
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♪
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KENNETH HARRIS: When you
really think about someone saying,
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"Let's invent a telescope that
can see back to the Big Bang,"
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like, what?
[chuckles]
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ANTONELLA NOTA:
The telescope will be so powerful,
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people will be simply blown away,
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because they will not be able
to recognize what they see.
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NARRATOR:
28 feet tall,
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weighing in at seven tons,
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decades in the making.
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We tested and we tested and we tested
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just to make sure that
this is going to actually work.
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NARRATOR: A telescope designed
to peer deep into the cosmos
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like no telescope ever has.
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NEÉSTOR ESPINOZA:
Such talented people
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have been worried about every little bolt
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that goes into this.
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NARRATOR: Are years and
years of hard work finally paying off?
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MIKE MENZEL: Is this the kind
of stuff that keeps me up at night?
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Yes, this is the stuff
that keeps me up at night.
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NARRATOR: Now the
first images are coming in.
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AMBER STRAUGHN: The future
of astrophysics in this country
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is depending on this telescope.
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NARRATOR:
"Ultimate Space Telescope,"
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right now, on "NOVA."
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♪
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♪
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MATT MOUNTAIN: How did
the universe come into being?
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How do galaxies form?
We don't know.
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LOUIS-GREGORY STROLGER: We really want
to understand how the universe evolved,
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so we better understand how we got here.
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What our place is in that universe.
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Are we alone is definitely one
of the key questions
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that I would love to answer.
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KNICOLE COLOÓN:
There are billions of stars.
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That means there are billions of planets.
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There's got to be something besides Earth
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that has life on it.
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HARRIS: The one thing I'm most
excited about is not just one question,
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but it's really, what will we discover
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that we weren't expecting to discover?
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♪
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NARRATOR:
It is the largest,
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most innovative space telescope
ever built,
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designed to peer deep into the universe
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to solve some of astronomy's
greatest cosmological mysteries.
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It's hard to even imagine
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what this telescope's going to discover.
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♪
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STEFANIE MILAM:
This is going to be
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the next big thing for astrophysics.
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We are going to rewrite the textbooks.
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NARRATOR: This is the story
of the next great space telescope,
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built on a scale never attempted before,
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and of the thousands of people
who have dedicated years
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guiding it into space.
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I've been working this job
for about 24 years.
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I started the program back in 2012.
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I started working on this project in '95.
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2006.
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I've been working on it for 20 years.
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For 13 years.
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There are people
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that have literally spent their careers
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working on this telescope,
their entire careers!
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MOUNTAIN:
It's taken far longer
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than we expected to get it all working.
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But this is the hardest,
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most complex telescope humanity
has ever built.
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♪
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NARRATOR:
The James Webb Space Telescope,
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also known as JWST,
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pushes the limits of engineering.
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Its mirror is massive,
21 feet in diameter.
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Compared to its famous predecessor,
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the Hubble Space Telescope,
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this mirror is a monster.
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JWST also has a
first-of-its-kind sunshield,
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the size of a tennis court.
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ALPHONSO STEWART:
You know, you hear the phrase,
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"The sunshield as large
as a tennis court."
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I'm, like, okay.
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But actually standing next to
it, I'm, like, "Wow.
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This is huge."
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STRAUGHN:
This telescope is so big
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that we actually had to build it
so that it folds up
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to fit inside the nose cone of the rocket.
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And then it deploys
once it gets into space.
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It's an origami telescope.
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♪
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MENZEL:
We take a world-class telescope,
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we've built it, we've tuned it,
we've aligned it,
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we've proved it works.
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It's a work of art...
it really is a work of art.
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And then we bust it up, fold it up,
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put it on the launcher,
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shake it,
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and then we have to rebuild...
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and I do mean this...
literally rebuild it on orbit,
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realign it on orbit,
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refocus it on orbit, retune it on orbit,
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all robotically.
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NARRATOR:
Now take this origami telescope
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and send it a million miles from Earth,
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about 3,000 times farther
than the Hubble Space Telescope.
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Too far for astronauts to fix it
if something goes wrong.
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STRAUGHN: Humans have only
been as far away from Earth as the moon,
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and this telescope will be four
times further away.
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That's one of the things
that makes this telescope
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so difficult and so daunting.
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You know, we have to get it right.
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We have to get it right...
we can't go fix it.
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THOMAS ZURBUCHEN:
The deployment, just, the sunshield,
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the mirror, it's, like, ah, really?
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This is...
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Why would anybody dream up this
complex a mission?
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NARRATOR: Why send such
a complex machine so far away
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that you can't fix it?
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What secrets will it reveal
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that the most powerful telescopes
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in our arsenal today cannot?
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To answer these questions,
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we travel back in time, to December 1995.
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As the holiday season kicks into gear,
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the Hubble Space Telescope peers
into what seems to be
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a relatively empty patch of the night sky.
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Honestly, it was a bit of a risk,
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because we'd never done anything
like this before.
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MOUNTAIN: We wanted to
look at a single point in the sky
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and just ask the simple
question, is anything there?
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And let's just stare.
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And it's an area about the size
of a drinking straw.
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There were, you know,
lots of prominent astronomers
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who just thought it wouldn't work.
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STROLGER: It was a
contentious thing among some folks
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that we would spend that much time
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looking at an empty patch of sky.
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But boy, did it pay off.
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NARRATOR: After ten
days of staring into darkness,
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thousands upon thousands of
galaxies appear.
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STRAUGHN: And it
was just, it was stunning.
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It stunned everybody,
including me as a kid.
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NARRATOR: This landmark image
is called the Hubble Deep Field.
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Hubble Deep Field is my favorite.
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That's my favorite image of all.
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There were literally thousands of galaxies
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in an area of the sky that,
up until that particular image,
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we didn't even know anything existed.
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It told us once again
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that, um, we have no clue.
[chuckles]
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You know, we think we're smart...
we have no clue.
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NARRATOR: This is the first
of a series of deep field images.
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Over the years,
Hubble would reveal even more.
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Of the tens of thousands
of objects in these images,
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only a few are stars.
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Most are galaxies.
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CAITLIN CASEY:
There are galaxies
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with ornate spiral structure,
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and weird shapes and sizes.
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♪
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NARRATOR: Some of
these oddly shaped galaxies
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are incredibly old.
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Billions of years old.
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One of the amazing things about telescopes
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is that they are literally time machines.
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They allow us to see the universe
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as it was in the distant past.
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[birds chirping]
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NARRATOR: Light travels in
waves at 186,000 miles per second.
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JEYHAN KARTALTEPE:
Light that's emitted from the sun
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takes eight minutes to reach us.
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So, if we go outside
and you look at the sun,
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you're really seeing
the sun eight minutes ago.
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You can imagine just further
stepping out in the universe.
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The nearest star to us
is four light-years away.
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That means light has taken four
years to arrive to us.
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NARRATOR:
The nearest galaxies
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are tens of thousands of light-years away,
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so we are seeing these galaxies
not as they are today,
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but as they were tens
of thousands of years ago.
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We are actually able to see in the past
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by looking at distant galaxies,
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because that light left so long ago,
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we're seeing them as they were
in the past.
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NARRATOR: As astronomers
scoured the Hubble Deep Fields,
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they noticed something strange.
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We began to see little orange
dots, sort of little smudges.
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NOTA:
These red, faint objects,
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they looked different.
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They were redder, they were amorphous.
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They looked like jellyfish.
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Those were really the farthest galaxies
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the Hubble has ever observed...
that humans have ever observed.
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NARRATOR:
The farther away a galaxy is,
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the redder it appears to our telescopes.
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This strange phenomenon is
called redshift.
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What's happening in the universe is,
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it's expanding and pulling space
apart as it goes,
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and it's stretching the light
in the same way.
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When an object is moving towards us,
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the light waves get smushed, and
shorter light waves are bluer.
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As an object moves away,
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the light waves get essentially stretched,
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and longer wavelengths are red.
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And so, when we're talking about galaxies
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in the distant universe,
they're all moving away from us,
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and so in essence, their light
is stretched, redder and redder.
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Now, the more distant galaxies,
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they are far enough away
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that their light has been stretched
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all the way out of the visible
part of the spectrum
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and into the infrared.
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NARRATOR:
The instruments onboard Hubble
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can see some of those infrared waves.
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NOTA:
Hubble has done amazing stuff,
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but it has found its limitation.
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NARRATOR: JWST is
designed to see a lot more,
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further into the infrared part
of the spectrum,
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and further back in time.
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JWST will push that window open.
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It will just completely revolutionize
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our way of seeing the universe.
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People will be simply blown away,
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because they will not be able
to recognize what they see.
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NARRATOR:
But for JWST to capture
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those long wavelengths of infrared light,
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the telescope will be about
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3,000 times farther from
Earth than Hubble,
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because capturing this ancient
light is very tricky.
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With this infrared camera,
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team member Knicole Colón
demonstrates why,
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using her hand, along with
a common household garbage bag.
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When Knicole places her hand
inside the garbage bag,
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you can't see it.
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But with that infrared camera...
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COLOÓN: You can actually
see my hand with infrared light
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because you're seeing through
the dark trash bag
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to see my glow.
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You're seeing my, my emitted radiation.
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[laughs]:
My emitted heat.
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NARRATOR:
Any object that emits heat
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can be detected in the infrared.
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But there's a catch,
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and it's a big one.
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Earth sends out heat...
you send out heat.
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We all send out heat.
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MILAM:
So does the moon.
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And, obviously, the sun.
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NARRATOR: Even the
telescope can emit heat.
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STRAUGHN:
If we want to see things
253
00:12:59,019 --> 00:13:01,608
that are glowing in the universe
in infrared light,
254
00:13:01,642 --> 00:13:05,025
the telescope itself has to be
extremely cold,
255
00:13:05,060 --> 00:13:07,579
so that it's not glowing
and sort of seeing itself.
256
00:13:07,614 --> 00:13:10,859
MILAM: So, this is why
we have a funny-looking,
257
00:13:10,893 --> 00:13:12,964
boat-shaped telescope.
258
00:13:12,999 --> 00:13:14,448
[laughs]
259
00:13:14,483 --> 00:13:18,556
So we can actually protect
the instruments and the mirrors,
260
00:13:18,590 --> 00:13:20,627
and keep them cold and away
261
00:13:20,661 --> 00:13:23,319
from all of that thermal energy
of the Earth and the sun.
262
00:13:24,873 --> 00:13:27,979
NARRATOR: The side
facing the sun, moon, and Earth
263
00:13:28,014 --> 00:13:33,571
can heat up to a toasty
230 degrees Fahrenheit,
264
00:13:33,605 --> 00:13:39,646
while the telescope is kept a
frigid -394 degrees Fahrenheit.
265
00:13:39,680 --> 00:13:42,062
MENZEL: If that sunshield
were suntan lotion,
266
00:13:42,097 --> 00:13:44,133
it would have an SPF of about ten million.
267
00:13:46,170 --> 00:13:50,174
NARRATOR: The telescope can
stay this cold a million miles away,
268
00:13:50,208 --> 00:13:54,868
at a gravitational sweet spot known as L2.
269
00:13:54,903 --> 00:13:59,148
Here, JWST will follow Earth's path
270
00:13:59,183 --> 00:14:02,117
as it orbits around the sun,
271
00:14:02,151 --> 00:14:04,844
the sunshield continuously protecting it
272
00:14:04,878 --> 00:14:08,468
from the light of the sun,
the Earth, and the moon.
273
00:14:08,502 --> 00:14:11,816
But if anything goes wrong,
274
00:14:11,851 --> 00:14:16,959
it's too far away astronauts to fix it.
275
00:14:16,994 --> 00:14:19,237
NASA is still haunted
276
00:14:19,272 --> 00:14:22,723
by the Hubble Space Telescope's
rocky start.
277
00:14:22,758 --> 00:14:24,794
LEE FEINBERG:
Hubble got in space,
278
00:14:24,829 --> 00:14:26,279
they got the first images,
and they realized
279
00:14:26,313 --> 00:14:27,487
they couldn't focus the telescope.
280
00:14:27,521 --> 00:14:30,317
The images were blurry.
281
00:14:30,352 --> 00:14:32,319
BOLDEN:
It's horrible.
282
00:14:32,354 --> 00:14:34,804
It's out of focus, it's, it's horrible.
283
00:14:34,839 --> 00:14:37,566
And as a crew member who had
deployed Hubble,
284
00:14:37,600 --> 00:14:38,567
I was devastated.
285
00:14:38,601 --> 00:14:41,259
What did we do that damaged Hubble?
286
00:14:42,812 --> 00:14:45,677
FEINBERG: It turned out that
the primary mirror of Hubble
287
00:14:45,712 --> 00:14:47,403
was essentially built
to the wrong prescription,
288
00:14:47,438 --> 00:14:48,646
as though you have the wrong eyeglasses.
289
00:14:51,442 --> 00:14:53,547
NARRATOR: Astronauts
rendezvoused with the telescope
290
00:14:53,582 --> 00:14:56,654
more than 300 miles above Earth
291
00:14:56,688 --> 00:14:59,415
in a daring maneuver to repair it.
292
00:14:59,450 --> 00:15:01,555
♪
293
00:15:01,590 --> 00:15:06,043
[cheering]
294
00:15:06,077 --> 00:15:08,217
We did it!
295
00:15:08,252 --> 00:15:11,669
NORA LUÜTZGENDORF: The big
difference between JWST and Hubble
296
00:15:11,703 --> 00:15:13,843
is that we won't be able to service it.
297
00:15:13,878 --> 00:15:16,156
But we also knew this from the beginning.
298
00:15:16,191 --> 00:15:18,607
Once, since we built JWST, we knew this.
299
00:15:18,641 --> 00:15:22,818
We could not afford something like Hubble,
300
00:15:22,852 --> 00:15:25,096
where the mirror wasn't
working... we cannot afford this.
301
00:15:25,131 --> 00:15:30,067
MENZEL:
Exploration involves risk.
302
00:15:30,101 --> 00:15:31,171
If you're not willing to take the risk,
303
00:15:31,206 --> 00:15:33,035
you don't belong in this business.
304
00:15:33,070 --> 00:15:35,175
And if you're doing a project
where there's no risk,
305
00:15:35,210 --> 00:15:38,006
chances are you're dealing,
you're doing a project
306
00:15:38,040 --> 00:15:40,422
that's not doing a lot of exploring.
307
00:15:40,456 --> 00:15:43,494
And, you know, people at NASA,
myself and others,
308
00:15:43,528 --> 00:15:45,427
that are used to this kind of thing,
309
00:15:45,461 --> 00:15:47,291
we know that, you know, that nice saying,
310
00:15:47,325 --> 00:15:49,465
"Failure is not an option," and it's not.
311
00:15:49,500 --> 00:15:51,951
But it's an ever-present possibility.
312
00:15:51,985 --> 00:15:54,574
Deal with it.
313
00:15:54,608 --> 00:15:56,714
♪
314
00:15:56,748 --> 00:15:59,061
NARRATOR: The building of
the ultimate space telescope
315
00:15:59,096 --> 00:16:02,064
would turn out to be more
fraught with problems
316
00:16:02,099 --> 00:16:05,378
than anyone expected.
317
00:16:05,412 --> 00:16:09,692
In fact, it was originally
scheduled to launch in 2007.
318
00:16:09,727 --> 00:16:13,144
Not only did NASA fail
to meet that deadline,
319
00:16:13,179 --> 00:16:15,077
by 2009,
320
00:16:15,112 --> 00:16:18,874
when Charles Bolden took over
as the NASA administrator,
321
00:16:18,908 --> 00:16:23,603
the mission was already billions
of dollars over budget.
322
00:16:23,637 --> 00:16:25,053
BOLDEN:
I get asked a lot of times,
323
00:16:25,087 --> 00:16:28,090
was JWST ever really in trouble?
324
00:16:28,125 --> 00:16:30,679
Or was it so important
325
00:16:30,713 --> 00:16:32,025
that it was going to go no matter what?
326
00:16:32,060 --> 00:16:34,027
It was in trouble.
327
00:16:34,062 --> 00:16:36,996
NARRATOR: Even NASA's
staunchest supporters in the Senate
328
00:16:37,030 --> 00:16:38,549
questioned the mission's price tag.
329
00:16:38,583 --> 00:16:40,171
BARBARA MIKULSKI:
Quite frankly,
330
00:16:40,206 --> 00:16:43,657
we, we, on a bipartisan basis,
331
00:16:43,692 --> 00:16:50,078
cannot sustain technology
with repeated cost overruns.
332
00:16:50,112 --> 00:16:51,355
BOLDEN:
During those hearings,
333
00:16:51,389 --> 00:16:54,082
you can really watch me
cowering sometimes,
334
00:16:54,116 --> 00:16:55,911
in front of Senator Mikulski,
335
00:16:55,945 --> 00:16:57,740
because she was asking
the tough questions.
336
00:16:57,775 --> 00:17:00,536
We were troubled about its management,
337
00:17:00,571 --> 00:17:02,745
we were troubled about the use of money.
338
00:17:02,780 --> 00:17:04,057
BOLDEN:
Senator Mikulski told me
339
00:17:04,092 --> 00:17:08,061
the last time we talked to her,
"Don't come back.
340
00:17:08,096 --> 00:17:10,960
"If you come back,
I'm not going to see you.
341
00:17:10,995 --> 00:17:15,413
"I'm just gonna, as much,
as valuable as I think JWST is,
342
00:17:15,448 --> 00:17:17,726
"I'm not gonna, I won't even entertain you
343
00:17:17,760 --> 00:17:18,968
coming back into my office."
344
00:17:20,522 --> 00:17:23,007
MENZEL: Some of those
problems were mistakes...
345
00:17:23,042 --> 00:17:24,215
shame on us.
346
00:17:24,250 --> 00:17:27,184
But people make mistakes.
347
00:17:27,218 --> 00:17:28,737
What you don't want to do
348
00:17:28,771 --> 00:17:30,670
is start infusing in people,
especially your engineers
349
00:17:30,704 --> 00:17:34,432
and your, your test technicians,
an environment
350
00:17:34,467 --> 00:17:36,572
that says, "Oh, don't make a mistake,
351
00:17:36,607 --> 00:17:38,781
"and if you do,
it's more profitable to hide it
352
00:17:38,816 --> 00:17:41,991
than to let it out."
353
00:17:42,026 --> 00:17:43,303
If they're going to cancel us,
they're going to cancel us,
354
00:17:43,338 --> 00:17:45,029
but we're going to do the honest thing.
355
00:17:45,064 --> 00:17:47,066
We're going to just keep, keep
soldiering on and that's that.
356
00:17:49,516 --> 00:17:51,208
NARRATOR: The team would
spend the next several years
357
00:17:51,242 --> 00:17:54,832
struggling to solve daunting problems.
358
00:17:56,282 --> 00:17:58,111
Developing new materials
359
00:17:58,146 --> 00:18:01,459
that are both lightweight and strong,
360
00:18:01,494 --> 00:18:03,220
while designing a telescope
361
00:18:03,254 --> 00:18:07,431
that can fit inside
the nose cone of a rocket.
362
00:18:07,465 --> 00:18:08,777
STEWART: One of the
things you have to realize is that
363
00:18:08,811 --> 00:18:10,641
you design something,
and you're building it.
364
00:18:10,675 --> 00:18:13,126
At the same time,
you're discovering problems,
365
00:18:13,161 --> 00:18:15,473
and you're fixing it
while you're still building it.
366
00:18:15,508 --> 00:18:17,130
You're almost doing two things
in parallel.
367
00:18:18,752 --> 00:18:21,445
NARRATOR: One of the
mission's biggest challenges?
368
00:18:21,479 --> 00:18:24,482
Building a machine that can survive
369
00:18:24,517 --> 00:18:26,035
the bitter cold temperatures
370
00:18:26,070 --> 00:18:28,693
of L2.
371
00:18:28,728 --> 00:18:31,075
The cryogenic aspect of this mission
372
00:18:31,110 --> 00:18:33,112
should not be underestimated in the least.
373
00:18:33,146 --> 00:18:37,185
Things become brittle,
things could break easy.
374
00:18:37,219 --> 00:18:40,257
And then even the mirrors themselves...
375
00:18:40,291 --> 00:18:42,051
You know, if you looked at these mirrors
376
00:18:42,086 --> 00:18:43,398
and how they behave
at ambient temperatures,
377
00:18:43,432 --> 00:18:46,228
they wouldn't look that good,
378
00:18:46,263 --> 00:18:50,922
because we had to anticipate
the way the mirrors warp
379
00:18:50,957 --> 00:18:53,132
as they cool down,
380
00:18:53,166 --> 00:18:55,099
so that they would warp
into the right shape
381
00:18:55,134 --> 00:18:57,377
at cryogenic temperatures.
382
00:18:57,412 --> 00:19:00,104
And that took quite a few
iterations to do.
383
00:19:03,728 --> 00:19:07,491
FEINBERG: The primary mirror
itself was maybe the hardest challenge.
384
00:19:07,525 --> 00:19:08,733
But the second-hardest challenge
385
00:19:08,768 --> 00:19:10,183
was figuring out how to test
the telescope,
386
00:19:10,218 --> 00:19:12,151
because the telescope was so large,
387
00:19:12,185 --> 00:19:14,014
and it had to be cooled in order
to be tested.
388
00:19:15,533 --> 00:19:18,053
NARRATOR: To do that,
they had to move the telescope
389
00:19:18,087 --> 00:19:19,330
from Goddard Space Flight Center
390
00:19:19,365 --> 00:19:22,989
in Greenbelt, Maryland,
to Johnson Space Center
391
00:19:23,023 --> 00:19:26,717
in Houston, Texas, for a critical test.
392
00:19:26,751 --> 00:19:28,926
FEINBERG: We actually
treated the test itself
393
00:19:28,960 --> 00:19:32,205
almost like a mission, a space mission.
394
00:19:32,240 --> 00:19:34,449
They had this very large vacuum chamber
395
00:19:34,483 --> 00:19:36,036
that was used to test the Apollo lander.
396
00:19:37,693 --> 00:19:40,627
NARRATOR: The test was
conducted inside chamber A,
397
00:19:40,662 --> 00:19:43,768
built in the 1960s
for the Apollo missions.
398
00:19:43,803 --> 00:19:48,187
It mimics the frigid environment of space.
399
00:19:48,221 --> 00:19:51,086
We did a number of modifications
to the chamber to make it
400
00:19:51,120 --> 00:19:52,432
be able to go to
401
00:19:52,467 --> 00:19:54,814
the operational temperature it
would have in space.
402
00:19:54,848 --> 00:19:58,266
And we literally had to build
403
00:19:58,300 --> 00:19:59,819
a custom-sized clean room around chamber A
404
00:19:59,853 --> 00:20:01,959
in order to have the telescope
405
00:20:01,993 --> 00:20:04,064
in a extremely sterile environment,
406
00:20:04,099 --> 00:20:06,308
so that dust and debris didn't affect
407
00:20:06,343 --> 00:20:07,965
any of the instrumentation,
408
00:20:07,999 --> 00:20:09,208
but more specifically the mirrors,
409
00:20:09,242 --> 00:20:11,865
which we were, you know,
obviously concerned about.
410
00:20:11,900 --> 00:20:13,384
[device beeping]
411
00:20:13,419 --> 00:20:16,180
BEGOÑA VILA:
It was the first time
412
00:20:16,215 --> 00:20:18,769
the whole set of the mirrors
was being cooled down together
413
00:20:18,803 --> 00:20:21,496
to the operational temperatures,
414
00:20:21,530 --> 00:20:24,292
and also the first time we could
415
00:20:24,326 --> 00:20:26,949
exercise the algorithm
to align the mirrors.
416
00:20:28,537 --> 00:20:30,021
FEINBERG:
So, what we wanted to see
417
00:20:30,056 --> 00:20:31,333
is that when you have
418
00:20:31,368 --> 00:20:33,059
all 18 mirrors, that you can actually
419
00:20:33,093 --> 00:20:38,651
get a nice image... that they can
all be aligned together.
420
00:20:38,685 --> 00:20:40,480
We started the test over the summer,
421
00:20:40,515 --> 00:20:43,311
and it takes literally 30 days
422
00:20:43,345 --> 00:20:48,005
to cool the telescope inside
of this large vacuum chamber.
423
00:20:48,039 --> 00:20:52,458
And literally just as the 30 days ended,
424
00:20:52,492 --> 00:20:53,597
and we finally hit this
425
00:20:53,631 --> 00:20:55,081
very cold temperature where the mirrors
426
00:20:55,115 --> 00:20:58,049
are below 50 degrees above absolute zero,
427
00:20:58,084 --> 00:21:01,225
Hurricane Harvey hit Houston.
428
00:21:01,260 --> 00:21:03,296
♪
429
00:21:03,331 --> 00:21:06,782
[wind whipping and howling]
430
00:21:06,817 --> 00:21:09,371
[helicopter whirring]
431
00:21:09,406 --> 00:21:12,443
Anxiety was flaring with everyone, because
432
00:21:12,478 --> 00:21:14,445
this is the main part of the
telescope, you know,
433
00:21:14,480 --> 00:21:16,516
directly in the path of a major hurricane.
434
00:21:16,551 --> 00:21:19,416
And you know, there's nothing you can do
435
00:21:19,450 --> 00:21:22,315
to stop a natural disaster.
436
00:21:22,350 --> 00:21:25,249
Luckily, the telescope
was already inside the chamber,
437
00:21:25,284 --> 00:21:27,251
and that was the safest place
for the telescope to be.
438
00:21:28,770 --> 00:21:33,119
NARRATOR:
As long as the power stays on.
439
00:21:33,153 --> 00:21:34,638
We could not lose electricity.
440
00:21:34,672 --> 00:21:39,470
We could not lose that cold environment.
441
00:21:39,505 --> 00:21:41,576
If things start warming up very fast,
442
00:21:41,610 --> 00:21:44,510
the whole telescope could have
been damaged...
443
00:21:44,544 --> 00:21:46,235
that would have been terrible.
444
00:21:46,270 --> 00:21:48,859
♪
445
00:21:48,893 --> 00:21:50,826
NARRATOR:
Johnson Space Center
446
00:21:50,861 --> 00:21:53,795
goes into lockdown...
only a skeleton crew
447
00:21:53,829 --> 00:21:55,348
is permitted on site.
448
00:21:57,281 --> 00:21:59,663
When you are there, you truly
don't know hour to hour.
449
00:21:59,697 --> 00:22:03,425
We will get tornado warnings
on our phones.
450
00:22:03,460 --> 00:22:05,324
MAN:
Intense!
451
00:22:05,358 --> 00:22:10,743
NARRATOR: Harvey
causes $125 billion in damage.
452
00:22:10,777 --> 00:22:12,400
Nearly ten percent
453
00:22:12,434 --> 00:22:16,127
of the population of Texas is displaced.
454
00:22:16,162 --> 00:22:17,991
Some of the team members lived in Houston,
455
00:22:18,026 --> 00:22:19,890
so they had their families at home,
456
00:22:19,924 --> 00:22:23,134
so they're hoping their families are safe.
457
00:22:23,169 --> 00:22:25,792
I think that was a lot for them to carry.
458
00:22:28,485 --> 00:22:32,454
NARRATOR: Fortunately, the
team, their families, and JWST
459
00:22:32,489 --> 00:22:36,320
make it through the storm.
460
00:22:36,355 --> 00:22:40,151
And that's only the beginning
of the good news.
461
00:22:40,186 --> 00:22:42,464
FEINBERG: All the tests
showed that the primary mirror
462
00:22:42,499 --> 00:22:45,156
worked as we expected.
463
00:22:45,191 --> 00:22:46,951
And so, we were able to show
464
00:22:46,986 --> 00:22:49,195
that all 18 mirrors could work as though
465
00:22:49,229 --> 00:22:50,507
they were a single, monolithic mirror.
466
00:22:52,301 --> 00:22:56,513
NARRATOR: Decades of
hard work seem to have paid off.
467
00:22:56,547 --> 00:22:58,342
[rattling]
468
00:22:58,377 --> 00:23:00,931
But about a year later,
469
00:23:00,965 --> 00:23:04,935
the bottom drops out when
the telescope is put through
470
00:23:04,969 --> 00:23:08,663
a rigorous vibration test to
ensure it will survive launch.
471
00:23:08,697 --> 00:23:11,182
BOLDEN:
When they finished the shake,
472
00:23:11,217 --> 00:23:13,219
they opened up the test cell
and there were
473
00:23:13,253 --> 00:23:18,638
little bitty screws in
the bottom of the test cell.
474
00:23:18,673 --> 00:23:20,640
NARRATOR: Congress
holds two days of hearings
475
00:23:20,675 --> 00:23:22,780
with representatives from NASA
476
00:23:22,815 --> 00:23:26,646
and JWST's prime contractor,
Northrop Grumman.
477
00:23:26,681 --> 00:23:32,203
Their goal: to find out what
went so horribly wrong.
478
00:23:32,238 --> 00:23:38,278
LAMAR SMITH: This is 19 times the
original cost and a delay of 14 years;
479
00:23:38,313 --> 00:23:42,524
it doesn't get much worse than that.
480
00:23:42,559 --> 00:23:44,319
ZURBUCHEN: It started
with a very optimistic
481
00:23:44,353 --> 00:23:48,772
and unrealistic cost estimate
with a huge promise.
482
00:23:48,806 --> 00:23:52,016
It's like relationships that we
have in our lives.
483
00:23:52,051 --> 00:23:55,192
If you start with a lie,
it's usually not going to last.
484
00:23:55,226 --> 00:23:57,263
So, so it...
485
00:23:57,297 --> 00:23:59,334
This one, unfortunately,
486
00:23:59,368 --> 00:24:03,131
started with a lie,
with well-intended, positive,
487
00:24:03,165 --> 00:24:08,826
overly optimistic judgment
of what it will take to do this.
488
00:24:08,861 --> 00:24:13,555
NARRATOR: Then another
controversy makes news.
489
00:24:13,590 --> 00:24:19,078
Back in 2002, the telescope
had been named after James Webb,
490
00:24:19,112 --> 00:24:21,874
the NASA administrator who led the agency
491
00:24:21,908 --> 00:24:26,672
during the early days
of the Apollo program.
492
00:24:26,706 --> 00:24:28,536
He's also known for his support
493
00:24:28,570 --> 00:24:32,160
for the robotic exploration of space.
494
00:24:32,194 --> 00:24:35,439
But in spring 2021,
495
00:24:35,474 --> 00:24:39,305
a group of astronomers petitions
to change the name,
496
00:24:39,339 --> 00:24:42,273
citing Webb's leadership roles
in federal government
497
00:24:42,308 --> 00:24:45,656
during the 1950s and '60s,
498
00:24:45,691 --> 00:24:48,970
when homophobic and
discriminatory policies
499
00:24:49,004 --> 00:24:53,181
forced gay and lesbian employees
out of their jobs.
500
00:24:56,080 --> 00:24:58,117
A few months later,
501
00:24:58,151 --> 00:25:01,051
the current NASA administrator,
Bill Nelson,
502
00:25:01,085 --> 00:25:04,710
says the agency has found
no evidence at this time
503
00:25:04,744 --> 00:25:07,402
that warrants a name change.
504
00:25:11,233 --> 00:25:15,099
Despite the many years of turmoil,
505
00:25:15,134 --> 00:25:18,309
JWST is prepped for its final journey
506
00:25:18,344 --> 00:25:21,968
to the European Space Agency's
launch pad in French Guiana.
507
00:25:22,003 --> 00:25:26,248
It weighs in at a whopping seven tons,
508
00:25:26,283 --> 00:25:29,389
and is 28 feet tall.
509
00:25:29,424 --> 00:25:33,877
It is by far the largest space
telescope ever built.
510
00:25:33,911 --> 00:25:36,569
At the same time,
511
00:25:36,604 --> 00:25:38,606
it's fragile.
512
00:25:38,640 --> 00:25:41,574
HARRIS: There was a time
where a small piece of tape
513
00:25:41,609 --> 00:25:45,716
fell onto one of the mirrors,
and we had to,
514
00:25:45,751 --> 00:25:49,375
we had to fly someone out from
that specific company
515
00:25:49,409 --> 00:25:50,859
to remove the tape with a pair
of tweezers.
516
00:25:50,894 --> 00:25:53,793
[chuckles]:
So, so I'd say
517
00:25:53,828 --> 00:25:57,694
they have to be extremely clean.
518
00:25:57,728 --> 00:25:58,729
GREGORY ROBINSON:
Even a human hair
519
00:25:58,764 --> 00:26:01,525
would just destroy something.
520
00:26:01,560 --> 00:26:04,183
The shipping container itself
takes years to prepare.
521
00:26:04,217 --> 00:26:05,391
You want the right size,
522
00:26:05,425 --> 00:26:08,118
you need a certain environment
523
00:26:08,152 --> 00:26:11,362
to keep it environmentally stable.
524
00:26:11,397 --> 00:26:14,296
♪
525
00:26:14,331 --> 00:26:19,612
NARRATOR: Enclosed in what
is essentially a mobile clean room,
526
00:26:19,647 --> 00:26:22,857
JWST has crossed the country
from Maryland,
527
00:26:22,891 --> 00:26:24,652
to Texas,
528
00:26:24,686 --> 00:26:29,449
to Northrop Grumman in California.
529
00:26:29,484 --> 00:26:33,522
Today, it begins a 5,800-mile sea voyage
530
00:26:33,557 --> 00:26:37,941
that will take it through the
Panama Canal,
531
00:26:37,975 --> 00:26:41,116
along the coast of South America,
532
00:26:41,151 --> 00:26:42,911
and down to the launch pad
in French Guiana.
533
00:26:42,946 --> 00:26:46,087
Traveling via ship is considered
534
00:26:46,121 --> 00:26:48,158
the safest mode of transportation
535
00:26:48,192 --> 00:26:51,540
for the delicate giant.
536
00:26:51,575 --> 00:26:54,854
The JW has this sheer volume-ness to it
537
00:26:54,889 --> 00:26:56,131
in everything that it does.
538
00:26:56,166 --> 00:26:58,306
It, it's very sensitive,
539
00:26:58,340 --> 00:27:01,102
but it is very large.
540
00:27:01,136 --> 00:27:03,035
It has small numbers of things
541
00:27:03,069 --> 00:27:05,347
and very large numbers of things.
542
00:27:06,901 --> 00:27:09,351
Yeah, it's, it's just, it's just extreme
543
00:27:09,386 --> 00:27:12,009
in everything you can think about.
544
00:27:12,044 --> 00:27:14,253
It's an extreme observatory.
545
00:27:14,287 --> 00:27:15,910
♪
546
00:27:15,944 --> 00:27:18,257
NARRATOR:
As launch day approaches,
547
00:27:18,291 --> 00:27:20,017
every inch of this extreme machine
548
00:27:20,052 --> 00:27:22,710
is checked and double-checked
549
00:27:22,744 --> 00:27:27,646
before it's placed on the Ariane 5 rocket.
550
00:27:27,680 --> 00:27:29,924
♪
551
00:27:29,958 --> 00:27:33,824
For most missions that we have,
we may have, you know,
552
00:27:33,859 --> 00:27:38,864
ten, five, you know, kind of
things that we worry about.
553
00:27:38,898 --> 00:27:41,107
If one of them doesn't work,
554
00:27:41,142 --> 00:27:42,626
you cannot do anything about it.
555
00:27:42,661 --> 00:27:44,697
♪
556
00:27:44,732 --> 00:27:46,906
JWST had 344.
557
00:27:46,941 --> 00:27:52,740
NARRATOR:
344 single points of failure.
558
00:27:52,774 --> 00:27:54,086
Pins that have to release.
559
00:27:54,120 --> 00:27:55,674
Latches that must lock into place.
560
00:27:55,708 --> 00:27:57,641
Hundreds of mechanisms
561
00:27:57,676 --> 00:28:00,437
needed to deploy the telescope in space.
562
00:28:00,471 --> 00:28:04,234
ESPINOZA: Single points
of failure make you nervous.
563
00:28:04,268 --> 00:28:05,822
Each of those things have to work.
564
00:28:05,856 --> 00:28:07,616
If they don't, then everything
breaks behind it.
565
00:28:09,101 --> 00:28:12,207
I mean, to be the first to do
something like this,
566
00:28:12,242 --> 00:28:14,623
there's risks, and you have to take them.
567
00:28:14,658 --> 00:28:16,695
Otherwise, you don't cross the river,
568
00:28:16,729 --> 00:28:19,421
we call it back in my hometown.
569
00:28:24,081 --> 00:28:27,188
NARRATOR: While millions around
the world celebrate the holidays,
570
00:28:27,222 --> 00:28:32,020
the JWST team gets a special present.
571
00:28:32,055 --> 00:28:34,540
ESPINOZA:
I feel like a little kid.
572
00:28:34,574 --> 00:28:36,887
This is the best Christmas
present ever, I think.
573
00:28:36,922 --> 00:28:39,890
I was talking with some colleagues
574
00:28:39,925 --> 00:28:42,065
that this is like one of these
few Christmases
575
00:28:42,099 --> 00:28:44,067
in which the parents are more
excited than the kids.
576
00:28:45,585 --> 00:28:47,277
NARRATOR:
Due to the pandemic,
577
00:28:47,311 --> 00:28:49,348
most team members watch the launch
578
00:28:49,382 --> 00:28:51,005
from the safety of home.
579
00:28:51,039 --> 00:28:55,078
But they still find ways to stay
connected to each other.
580
00:28:55,112 --> 00:28:57,218
LUÜTZGENDORF: Especially
with my female colleagues,
581
00:28:57,252 --> 00:28:59,185
I feel a really big connection.
582
00:28:59,220 --> 00:29:00,497
We have, like, a little WhatsApp group,
583
00:29:00,531 --> 00:29:04,018
and we, we painted our nails
golden to have, like,
584
00:29:04,052 --> 00:29:07,435
some connection with each other,
and that felt, felt really good!
585
00:29:09,264 --> 00:29:10,438
[exhales]
586
00:29:10,472 --> 00:29:12,198
JESSICA HART:
I'm feeling very excited,
587
00:29:12,233 --> 00:29:13,268
maybe a little nervous,
588
00:29:13,303 --> 00:29:14,787
because it's my first mission
589
00:29:14,822 --> 00:29:17,652
and I've never experienced this, you know,
590
00:29:17,686 --> 00:29:19,240
high tension of launch day before.
591
00:29:19,274 --> 00:29:22,277
But very excited.
592
00:29:24,624 --> 00:29:27,696
NARRATOR: At the European
Space Agency's launch site,
593
00:29:27,731 --> 00:29:30,492
the countdown begins.
594
00:29:30,527 --> 00:29:31,873
ANNOUNCER:
Well, at this hour,
595
00:29:31,908 --> 00:29:33,841
countdown clocks are ticking backward.
596
00:29:33,875 --> 00:29:36,844
We are at T-minus 13 minutes, 32 seconds
597
00:29:36,878 --> 00:29:38,811
and counting.
598
00:29:38,846 --> 00:29:40,813
NARRATOR:
Team members from NASA,
599
00:29:40,848 --> 00:29:44,506
the European Space Agency,
and the Canadian Space Agency
600
00:29:44,541 --> 00:29:46,094
have come together
601
00:29:46,129 --> 00:29:49,822
to guide their telescope into space.
602
00:29:49,857 --> 00:29:51,306
It's really amazing
603
00:29:51,341 --> 00:29:53,757
to see all these teams working together.
604
00:29:53,792 --> 00:29:57,278
International cooperation is the key
605
00:29:57,312 --> 00:30:00,315
to make really great projects happen.
606
00:30:00,350 --> 00:30:03,318
ANNOUNCER: Out on the
launchpad, everything is in great shape.
607
00:30:03,353 --> 00:30:05,182
Don't let those clouds fool you.
608
00:30:05,217 --> 00:30:07,633
We are go for launch.
609
00:30:07,667 --> 00:30:09,014
So, we're set for launch.
610
00:30:09,048 --> 00:30:11,568
It's fueled, we're nervous.
611
00:30:11,602 --> 00:30:12,569
Go, Webb.
612
00:30:12,603 --> 00:30:13,535
[laughing]
613
00:30:14,743 --> 00:30:17,850
[speaking French]
614
00:30:17,885 --> 00:30:19,610
ANNOUNCER:
Thumbs up from Jean-Luc Voyer.
615
00:30:19,645 --> 00:30:21,336
All systems are go.
616
00:30:21,371 --> 00:30:24,823
We're inside a minute now,
T-minus 50 seconds and counting.
617
00:30:24,857 --> 00:30:27,618
Standing by for terminal count.
618
00:30:27,653 --> 00:30:29,344
[Voyer counting down in French]
619
00:30:29,379 --> 00:30:31,277
ESPINOZA:
I was squeezing my wife's hand
620
00:30:31,312 --> 00:30:33,693
very tightly, because I was super-nervous.
621
00:30:33,728 --> 00:30:36,558
[engine roaring]
622
00:30:38,043 --> 00:30:39,630
ANNOUNCER:
And we have engine start.
623
00:30:39,665 --> 00:30:41,874
[exhales]
624
00:30:41,909 --> 00:30:44,601
I'm always the most scared
of the real, like,
625
00:30:44,635 --> 00:30:47,259
liftoff, the big explosion.
626
00:30:47,293 --> 00:30:48,881
ANNOUNCER:
And liftoff.
627
00:30:48,916 --> 00:30:51,090
-VOYER: Décollage.
-ANNOUNCER: Décollage,
628
00:30:51,125 --> 00:30:53,610
liftoff from a tropical rainforest
629
00:30:53,644 --> 00:30:55,439
to the edge of time itself.
630
00:30:55,474 --> 00:30:57,165
James Webb begins a voyage
631
00:30:57,200 --> 00:30:59,788
back to the birth of the universe.
632
00:30:59,823 --> 00:31:02,170
[laughing, imitating rocket]
633
00:31:02,205 --> 00:31:04,069
♪
634
00:31:04,103 --> 00:31:09,695
NARRATOR: But JWST is
far from being out of the woods.
635
00:31:09,729 --> 00:31:11,835
We're waiting for the decoupling
636
00:31:11,870 --> 00:31:14,286
of Webb.
637
00:31:14,320 --> 00:31:15,390
[sighs]:
From the booster.
638
00:31:15,425 --> 00:31:18,048
♪
639
00:31:18,083 --> 00:31:20,464
NARRATOR: The telescope needs
to separate from the upper stage
640
00:31:20,499 --> 00:31:22,225
of the Ariane rocket
641
00:31:22,259 --> 00:31:25,849
without smacking into it.
642
00:31:25,884 --> 00:31:27,713
ANNOUNCER: Springs will gently
push Webb away from the upper stage
643
00:31:27,747 --> 00:31:30,129
of the Ariane 5.
644
00:31:30,164 --> 00:31:33,408
As it moves further and further
away from the upper stage,
645
00:31:33,443 --> 00:31:36,066
there will be what we refer to as
646
00:31:36,101 --> 00:31:37,447
a collision avoidance maneuver.
647
00:31:37,481 --> 00:31:41,106
[television playing]
648
00:31:41,140 --> 00:31:45,248
♪
649
00:31:45,282 --> 00:31:46,939
ANNOUNCER:
And there is the view from
650
00:31:46,974 --> 00:31:49,493
the upper stage camera on the Ariane 5,
651
00:31:49,528 --> 00:31:51,944
looking at the James Webb Space Telescope
652
00:31:51,979 --> 00:31:55,258
as it moves gently away
653
00:31:55,292 --> 00:31:57,950
from its launch vehicle.
654
00:31:57,985 --> 00:31:58,951
[cheering softly]
655
00:31:58,986 --> 00:31:59,952
[exclaiming] Touchdown!
656
00:31:59,987 --> 00:32:01,885
Touchdown!
657
00:32:01,920 --> 00:32:03,542
NARRATOR:
But there's still one more
658
00:32:03,576 --> 00:32:04,957
critical step to go in the launch.
659
00:32:04,992 --> 00:32:10,169
The telescope needs to
deploy a key energy source...
660
00:32:10,204 --> 00:32:11,964
its solar panels.
661
00:32:11,999 --> 00:32:14,725
JW runs on battery and power,
662
00:32:14,760 --> 00:32:15,864
but the battery is limited in life,
663
00:32:15,899 --> 00:32:17,797
so without power you got few hours,
664
00:32:17,832 --> 00:32:19,420
and after that, all bets are off.
665
00:32:19,454 --> 00:32:21,525
So, for me, you got to get
666
00:32:21,560 --> 00:32:24,632
the solar array out and generating power.
667
00:32:24,666 --> 00:32:27,152
ANNOUNCER: There is the
solar array having been deployed.
668
00:32:27,186 --> 00:32:28,153
James Webb now...
669
00:32:28,187 --> 00:32:29,740
[quietly]:
Yes!
670
00:32:29,775 --> 00:32:30,776
Um, we got power.
671
00:32:30,810 --> 00:32:32,640
[people cheering on television]
672
00:32:32,674 --> 00:32:33,986
[exclaiming and laughing]
673
00:32:34,021 --> 00:32:37,231
We were able to see it live.
674
00:32:37,265 --> 00:32:40,475
I wanted to scream.
675
00:32:40,510 --> 00:32:41,683
[applauding and cheering]
676
00:32:41,718 --> 00:32:42,995
ROBINSON:
We did not expect to see that.
677
00:32:43,030 --> 00:32:46,102
That's when it really hit,
that this thing is,
678
00:32:46,136 --> 00:32:47,482
it's gone.
679
00:32:47,517 --> 00:32:48,967
My baby has launched,
and she's on her way.
680
00:32:50,969 --> 00:32:52,315
ANNOUNCER:
Ironically enough,
681
00:32:52,349 --> 00:32:55,076
as we marvel on this view
from the upper stage camera,
682
00:32:55,111 --> 00:32:57,630
this will be humanity's last view
683
00:32:57,665 --> 00:32:59,425
of the James Webb Space Telescope
684
00:32:59,460 --> 00:33:01,427
as it moves to its workplace
685
00:33:01,462 --> 00:33:05,086
about a million miles away from Earth.
686
00:33:05,121 --> 00:33:07,157
NOTA: It was such a bittersweet moment,
687
00:33:07,192 --> 00:33:10,505
like saying goodbye.
688
00:33:10,540 --> 00:33:12,128
It's this mixed emotion, like,
689
00:33:12,162 --> 00:33:15,890
almost like a parent,
to see their child go
690
00:33:15,924 --> 00:33:19,273
into the universe,
alone, in the cold space,
691
00:33:19,307 --> 00:33:23,760
but knowing that the telescope
will do great things.
692
00:33:23,794 --> 00:33:26,590
♪
693
00:33:26,625 --> 00:33:28,799
MENZEL: I mean, the true
history of this thing isn't so much
694
00:33:28,834 --> 00:33:30,767
the hardware.
695
00:33:30,801 --> 00:33:32,734
In reality, it's going to be the,
696
00:33:32,769 --> 00:33:34,046
you know, the images and the data,
697
00:33:34,081 --> 00:33:35,599
and we're not there yet.
698
00:33:35,634 --> 00:33:37,567
And, you know, I guess
I'll breathe a sigh of relief
699
00:33:37,601 --> 00:33:40,777
when we get there.
700
00:33:40,811 --> 00:33:42,330
♪
701
00:33:42,365 --> 00:33:45,023
NARRATOR: Control of the telescope
is passed from French Guiana...
702
00:33:47,473 --> 00:33:51,443
...to the Space Telescope
Science Institute in Baltimore.
703
00:33:51,477 --> 00:33:54,170
Here, the telescope's activities
704
00:33:54,204 --> 00:33:57,138
are monitored by team members
705
00:33:57,173 --> 00:33:59,278
from around the world.
706
00:33:59,313 --> 00:34:01,418
STEWART: This is what we call
the Mission Operations Center.
707
00:34:03,110 --> 00:34:05,388
This area is divided into two main rooms.
708
00:34:05,422 --> 00:34:07,631
The front room is where everything is
709
00:34:07,666 --> 00:34:10,358
focused to the MOM,
mission operation manager,
710
00:34:10,393 --> 00:34:11,670
and it his job to kind of
711
00:34:11,704 --> 00:34:12,912
okay everything that we're going to do.
712
00:34:12,947 --> 00:34:16,088
MAN:
We can execute that, however...
713
00:34:16,123 --> 00:34:18,228
NARRATOR: The MOM, along
with team members in the front room,
714
00:34:18,263 --> 00:34:22,267
are responsible for sending
commands to the telescope.
715
00:34:23,751 --> 00:34:25,132
In the room next door,
716
00:34:25,166 --> 00:34:27,927
experts assess the telescope's condition.
717
00:34:27,962 --> 00:34:29,722
MAN:
Will you let the...
718
00:34:29,757 --> 00:34:32,070
Will you be able to let the science...
719
00:34:32,104 --> 00:34:33,450
NARRATOR:
Over the next several months,
720
00:34:33,485 --> 00:34:36,212
these rooms will run 24/7
721
00:34:36,246 --> 00:34:37,903
as the team coordinates
722
00:34:37,937 --> 00:34:39,939
the most complicated part
of the mission...
723
00:34:39,974 --> 00:34:43,943
and what they've been
preparing for for years:
724
00:34:43,978 --> 00:34:48,845
the deployment of their origami telescope.
725
00:34:48,879 --> 00:34:50,605
Other missions,
like missions that go to Mars,
726
00:34:50,640 --> 00:34:52,883
they have, like, these
seven minutes of terror
727
00:34:52,918 --> 00:34:54,989
while they go down the atmosphere.
728
00:34:55,023 --> 00:34:57,647
We will have days of terror.
[laughs]
729
00:34:57,681 --> 00:34:59,269
So, it's not for the faint of heart.
730
00:34:59,304 --> 00:35:04,516
I will say that probably once
the telescope is fully deployed,
731
00:35:04,550 --> 00:35:05,724
I'll be...
732
00:35:05,758 --> 00:35:07,691
[sighs deeply, laughs]
733
00:35:09,521 --> 00:35:11,005
NARRATOR:
The deployment starts with
734
00:35:11,039 --> 00:35:13,904
the unfolding of the
tennis-court-size sunshield,
735
00:35:13,939 --> 00:35:15,596
which has been tightly packed for launch.
736
00:35:17,460 --> 00:35:20,635
This is risky business,
because the sunshield's
737
00:35:20,670 --> 00:35:25,778
five layers are made of
incredibly thin material.
738
00:35:25,813 --> 00:35:28,022
STEWART:
The material is just one mil.
739
00:35:28,056 --> 00:35:29,161
It's like a potato chip bag.
740
00:35:29,196 --> 00:35:31,508
It's hard to rip,
741
00:35:31,543 --> 00:35:34,442
but once you start to rip,
it's easy to tear.
742
00:35:34,477 --> 00:35:37,652
NARRATOR:
So, they take their time.
743
00:35:37,687 --> 00:35:39,758
First, commanding the telescope
744
00:35:39,792 --> 00:35:42,347
to carefully lower its two pallets
745
00:35:42,381 --> 00:35:45,695
that are holding
the thin material in place.
746
00:35:45,729 --> 00:35:48,353
You'll see one come down in the front,
747
00:35:48,387 --> 00:35:49,906
one come down in the back.
748
00:35:49,940 --> 00:35:55,118
NARRATOR: Next, the
primary mirror is raised.
749
00:35:55,153 --> 00:35:57,327
MENZEL:
Then after that, we start to
750
00:35:57,362 --> 00:36:02,021
unroll the covers on the sunshield.
751
00:36:02,056 --> 00:36:04,817
And then there are two
telescoping booms on the sides
752
00:36:04,852 --> 00:36:08,925
that will pull
the sunshield membranes out.
753
00:36:08,959 --> 00:36:11,721
We actually have to unfold it
and tighten it up,
754
00:36:11,755 --> 00:36:14,275
almost like the sails on a ship.
755
00:36:14,310 --> 00:36:15,483
But these big floppity membranes,
756
00:36:15,518 --> 00:36:18,900
in zero-g, they can go all over the place.
757
00:36:18,935 --> 00:36:20,557
Right? They can go places
you don't want them to go.
758
00:36:20,592 --> 00:36:21,869
They can, they can get in places
759
00:36:21,903 --> 00:36:24,527
where they could snag or tear
or impede other,
760
00:36:24,561 --> 00:36:25,666
you know, other deployments.
761
00:36:27,461 --> 00:36:28,703
NARRATOR:
It takes eight days
762
00:36:28,738 --> 00:36:31,119
to unfold the sunshield.
763
00:36:32,811 --> 00:36:35,607
But the hardest part is yet to come.
764
00:36:37,678 --> 00:36:38,782
Now 90 cables,
765
00:36:38,817 --> 00:36:42,027
along with eight motors
766
00:36:42,061 --> 00:36:43,546
and hundreds of pulleys,
767
00:36:43,580 --> 00:36:46,065
must separate the five layers
768
00:36:46,100 --> 00:36:48,723
and stretch them tight,
769
00:36:48,758 --> 00:36:51,519
a process called tensioning.
770
00:36:51,554 --> 00:36:52,555
STEWART:
If you take all those layers
771
00:36:52,589 --> 00:36:54,419
and just bring them all together,
772
00:36:54,453 --> 00:36:57,180
it wouldn't be as effective,
but to just sheerly,
773
00:36:57,215 --> 00:36:59,217
just separating them, those five layers,
774
00:36:59,251 --> 00:37:02,427
give you the extreme capability
775
00:37:02,461 --> 00:37:05,913
of that insulating property.
776
00:37:05,947 --> 00:37:07,259
MENZEL: When am I
going to start breathing,
777
00:37:07,294 --> 00:37:09,365
breathing a sigh of relief?
778
00:37:09,399 --> 00:37:11,263
It's about when we tension the sunshield.
779
00:37:11,298 --> 00:37:14,404
♪
780
00:37:14,439 --> 00:37:16,579
STEWART:
For the last year and a half,
781
00:37:16,613 --> 00:37:17,614
we've been practicing this day.
782
00:37:17,649 --> 00:37:18,615
All of this
783
00:37:18,650 --> 00:37:21,308
is a culmination of testing, design,
784
00:37:21,342 --> 00:37:24,172
rehearsing, getting in the right place,
785
00:37:24,207 --> 00:37:25,795
getting the right people.
786
00:37:29,143 --> 00:37:31,904
WOMAN [on radio]: Okay,
at this time, you go to execute.
787
00:37:31,939 --> 00:37:33,354
STEWART:
For me, it was a...
788
00:37:33,389 --> 00:37:34,528
It was just an anxious moment.
789
00:37:34,562 --> 00:37:35,874
The room was really quiet.
790
00:37:35,908 --> 00:37:37,358
WOMAN 2 [on radio]:
Executing.
791
00:37:37,393 --> 00:37:38,670
STEWART: I remember,
you know, before that,
792
00:37:38,704 --> 00:37:40,154
you hear a lot of conversation,
793
00:37:40,188 --> 00:37:41,328
but when the sunshield...
the room was quiet.
794
00:37:41,362 --> 00:37:44,192
WOMAN 1 [on radio]:
I can confirm motor stop.
795
00:37:44,227 --> 00:37:45,884
STEWART:
Everyone just focused on
796
00:37:45,918 --> 00:37:47,057
their monitor, temperature, communication.
797
00:37:47,092 --> 00:37:49,197
You know, everything was just...
798
00:37:49,232 --> 00:37:51,338
Everybody was...
799
00:37:51,372 --> 00:37:52,718
[quietly]:
It was, like, "Wow."
800
00:37:54,617 --> 00:37:55,583
WOMAN 1:
Stand by while we review
801
00:37:55,618 --> 00:37:56,688
our motor movement parameters.
802
00:37:56,722 --> 00:37:57,654
WOMAN 2:
Standing by.
803
00:38:00,001 --> 00:38:03,073
NARRATOR:
JWST sends word back.
804
00:38:03,108 --> 00:38:07,802
One layer is
fully separated from the rest.
805
00:38:07,837 --> 00:38:09,597
STEWART: It worked so well,
we said, "Let's do the second one."
806
00:38:11,737 --> 00:38:13,083
WOMAN 1:
And you're go to continue.
807
00:38:13,118 --> 00:38:14,361
STEWART: Second one
worked so well, we said,
808
00:38:14,395 --> 00:38:15,603
"Let's do the third one."
809
00:38:15,638 --> 00:38:16,915
And we said,
"All right, that's enough."
810
00:38:16,949 --> 00:38:18,365
[laughs]:
Let's...
811
00:38:18,399 --> 00:38:19,849
Let's just go on to the next day.
812
00:38:19,883 --> 00:38:22,058
♪
813
00:38:22,092 --> 00:38:23,335
NARRATOR:
The next day,
814
00:38:23,370 --> 00:38:26,718
they tackle the final two layers.
815
00:38:26,752 --> 00:38:28,444
MAN [on radio]:
We're a go at this time
816
00:38:28,478 --> 00:38:31,481
to finish sunshield tensioning layer five.
817
00:38:31,516 --> 00:38:32,689
♪
818
00:38:32,724 --> 00:38:34,622
WOMAN [on radio]:
I can confirm that
819
00:38:34,657 --> 00:38:36,521
all five layers of the sunshield
820
00:38:36,555 --> 00:38:38,246
are fully tensioned.
821
00:38:38,281 --> 00:38:41,077
[applauding] MAN: Significant milestone
accomplished.
822
00:38:41,111 --> 00:38:44,839
Job well done, sunshield team,
job well done.
823
00:38:44,874 --> 00:38:46,013
NARRATOR:
For a brief moment,
824
00:38:46,047 --> 00:38:47,532
the tension in mission ops has lifted.
825
00:38:47,566 --> 00:38:49,188
♪
826
00:38:49,223 --> 00:38:50,914
But quickly, the team gets back to work.
827
00:38:50,949 --> 00:38:53,192
STEWART:
Yes, we did this one,
828
00:38:53,227 --> 00:38:55,091
but we got more work to do...
let's just keep going.
829
00:38:56,955 --> 00:38:57,956
NARRATOR:
Dozens of potential
830
00:38:57,990 --> 00:39:01,166
single points of failure yet to overcome.
831
00:39:01,200 --> 00:39:05,688
Now the team starts their
next critical deployment:
832
00:39:05,722 --> 00:39:08,346
the secondary mirror.
833
00:39:08,380 --> 00:39:13,074
Without a secondary mirror,
there is no telescope.
834
00:39:13,109 --> 00:39:15,111
CHARLES-PHILIPPE LAJOIE:
Light from a star comes down
835
00:39:15,145 --> 00:39:18,528
and hits the primary mirror first.
836
00:39:18,563 --> 00:39:20,772
The primary mirror has
a almost parabolic shape,
837
00:39:20,806 --> 00:39:23,326
and that focuses the light,
838
00:39:23,361 --> 00:39:26,674
and it goes up and
hits the secondary mirror,
839
00:39:26,709 --> 00:39:31,645
and that light then gets sent
back towards the instruments.
840
00:39:31,679 --> 00:39:33,129
FEINBERG: This was the
hardest one to test on the ground,
841
00:39:33,163 --> 00:39:35,476
because it's so large.
842
00:39:35,511 --> 00:39:37,167
You know, it's over seven meters in size.
843
00:39:37,202 --> 00:39:40,378
And right now, you know,
those composite struts are
844
00:39:40,412 --> 00:39:43,691
almost minus 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
845
00:39:43,726 --> 00:39:44,968
And so, they're super-cold.
846
00:39:45,003 --> 00:39:48,524
You have all these releases
that have to happen.
847
00:39:49,870 --> 00:39:53,460
Motors have to work precisely.
848
00:39:53,494 --> 00:39:54,840
You have to come up against a hard stop.
849
00:39:54,875 --> 00:39:57,084
You have to have a latch that,
you know, works just...
850
00:39:57,118 --> 00:39:58,430
Everything has to go like clockwork.
851
00:39:58,465 --> 00:40:01,329
MAN [on radio]:
We are go to proceed
852
00:40:01,364 --> 00:40:02,848
with the latch to safe,
853
00:40:02,883 --> 00:40:04,160
move two of three.
854
00:40:04,194 --> 00:40:05,679
[woman speaking on radio]
855
00:40:05,713 --> 00:40:08,095
MAN:
And O.C., that looks good,
856
00:40:08,129 --> 00:40:09,510
you're go to execute.
857
00:40:09,545 --> 00:40:10,615
WOMAN 2 [on radio]:
Roger. Executing.
858
00:40:10,649 --> 00:40:13,169
♪
859
00:40:13,203 --> 00:40:14,446
FEINBERG:
It latched into place,
860
00:40:14,481 --> 00:40:16,034
everything was nominal.
861
00:40:16,068 --> 00:40:18,139
It was successful.
862
00:40:18,174 --> 00:40:20,935
[applauding]
863
00:40:20,970 --> 00:40:22,454
I will say, today, I, uh,
864
00:40:22,489 --> 00:40:25,940
I felt really relieved.
[laughs]
865
00:40:25,975 --> 00:40:27,494
I felt really relieved, so that was good.
866
00:40:29,530 --> 00:40:30,945
MENZEL:
This is a simulation,
867
00:40:30,980 --> 00:40:32,464
based on our telemetry,
868
00:40:32,499 --> 00:40:34,052
of what our observatory
looks like right now.
869
00:40:34,086 --> 00:40:38,159
So, we just deployed the secondary mirror.
870
00:40:38,194 --> 00:40:41,646
So right now,
we actually have a telescope.
871
00:40:41,680 --> 00:40:43,199
And by the way, as of right now,
872
00:40:43,233 --> 00:40:49,792
we have retired 283 of
the 344 single point failures.
873
00:40:52,657 --> 00:40:55,867
NARRATOR: There's just
one major deployment to go...
874
00:40:55,901 --> 00:41:01,251
the unfolding of each wing
of the massive origami mirror.
875
00:41:01,286 --> 00:41:03,012
[whirring]
876
00:41:03,046 --> 00:41:04,392
STRAUGHN:
So you can sort of think of
877
00:41:04,427 --> 00:41:06,464
a telescope mirror like a light bucket.
878
00:41:06,498 --> 00:41:08,362
You know, if you have a bucket
sitting outside on a rainy day,
879
00:41:08,396 --> 00:41:10,675
a bigger bucket is
going to collect more light.
880
00:41:10,709 --> 00:41:11,710
So that's the first thing,
881
00:41:11,745 --> 00:41:14,886
is, a big mirror can collect more light.
882
00:41:14,920 --> 00:41:17,440
The second thing is that
the bigger your mirror is,
883
00:41:17,475 --> 00:41:20,512
the more detail
you can see in the universe.
884
00:41:20,547 --> 00:41:22,100
It's this idea of resolution.
885
00:41:22,134 --> 00:41:23,722
You know, if you have
a camera with more pixels,
886
00:41:23,757 --> 00:41:25,448
you can see finer resolution.
887
00:41:25,483 --> 00:41:27,485
Same thing with a big telescope mirror.
888
00:41:28,934 --> 00:41:30,108
NARRATOR:
Size matters,
889
00:41:30,142 --> 00:41:31,903
but it's not enough.
890
00:41:31,937 --> 00:41:33,283
That's why JWST's mirror
891
00:41:33,318 --> 00:41:39,082
is coated in a thin layer of gold.
892
00:41:39,117 --> 00:41:42,603
It turns out gold is remarkably
reflective for infrared light.
893
00:41:42,638 --> 00:41:45,986
It reflects over 99% of all the light
894
00:41:46,020 --> 00:41:49,058
when it hits the mirror.
895
00:41:49,092 --> 00:41:51,923
So we decided we will use a gold coating.
896
00:41:53,821 --> 00:41:55,823
Not very much gold.
897
00:41:55,858 --> 00:41:59,206
We literally only put
in between 500 and 600 atoms
898
00:41:59,240 --> 00:42:00,690
across that surface.
899
00:42:00,725 --> 00:42:02,416
Across the whole six-and-a-half meters,
900
00:42:02,450 --> 00:42:05,315
there's less than two ounces of gold.
901
00:42:05,350 --> 00:42:06,903
ROBINSON:
Looks like a whole lot of gold
902
00:42:06,938 --> 00:42:09,734
because we have a lot of surface area,
903
00:42:09,768 --> 00:42:13,461
but it's about the amount of
five or six men wedding bands.
904
00:42:15,256 --> 00:42:16,775
NARRATOR:
While the gold-laden mirror
905
00:42:16,810 --> 00:42:18,605
can work without its wings,
906
00:42:18,639 --> 00:42:21,055
it cannot do the kind of
ground-breaking science
907
00:42:21,090 --> 00:42:22,712
the team has been hoping for
908
00:42:22,747 --> 00:42:26,267
unless the primary mirror
is fully deployed.
909
00:42:29,961 --> 00:42:32,066
WOMAN [on radio]: We're ready to
command the launch lock releases.
910
00:42:34,034 --> 00:42:36,623
The command line looks good,
you're go to execute.
911
00:42:36,657 --> 00:42:39,591
WOMAN 2 [on radio]:
Executing.
912
00:42:39,626 --> 00:42:42,318
WOMAN 1:
You're go to continue.
913
00:42:42,352 --> 00:42:43,871
♪
914
00:42:43,906 --> 00:42:45,528
O.C., you're go to fire.
915
00:42:45,563 --> 00:42:46,667
WOMAN 3 [on radio]:
Copy go to fire.
916
00:42:46,702 --> 00:42:47,668
[continues]
917
00:42:47,703 --> 00:42:50,257
NARRATOR:
This is the moment
918
00:42:50,291 --> 00:42:52,846
team members have worked towards
919
00:42:52,880 --> 00:42:54,364
for decades.
920
00:42:54,399 --> 00:42:56,332
MAN [on radio]:...OPS, we have reached
921
00:42:56,366 --> 00:42:58,817
the end of deployment.
922
00:42:58,852 --> 00:43:02,510
And we have a fully deployed
JWST observatory.
923
00:43:02,545 --> 00:43:07,032
[applauding and cheering]
924
00:43:07,067 --> 00:43:09,379
STEWART:
When the deployment lead
925
00:43:09,414 --> 00:43:12,555
said, you know, we had
successful mirror deployment,
926
00:43:12,590 --> 00:43:14,695
I got up with my camera and just kind of
927
00:43:14,730 --> 00:43:18,630
panned the room.
928
00:43:18,665 --> 00:43:20,114
I remember my project manager saying,
929
00:43:20,149 --> 00:43:23,048
"Take in the moment,
don't forget the moment."
930
00:43:23,083 --> 00:43:25,706
[applause continues]
931
00:43:25,741 --> 00:43:27,639
I think over time, it'll
start hitting me more and more,
932
00:43:27,674 --> 00:43:29,537
start realizing this is really big.
933
00:43:29,572 --> 00:43:32,955
This is really big.
934
00:43:32,989 --> 00:43:36,752
[talking in background]
935
00:43:36,786 --> 00:43:38,857
Man, can you believe it?
936
00:43:38,892 --> 00:43:40,445
It happened.
937
00:43:40,479 --> 00:43:43,413
♪
938
00:43:46,037 --> 00:43:48,004
NARRATOR:
About a month after launch,
939
00:43:48,039 --> 00:43:53,907
JWST is already
a million miles from Earth.
940
00:43:56,703 --> 00:43:58,463
Although the wings of the primary mirror
941
00:43:58,497 --> 00:44:01,224
unfolded without a hitch, its 18 segments
942
00:44:01,259 --> 00:44:05,056
still need to be aligned to work as one.
943
00:44:05,090 --> 00:44:06,782
How do you align a telescope,
944
00:44:06,816 --> 00:44:09,267
how do you align segments in space?
945
00:44:09,301 --> 00:44:10,958
We're doing it in a way, you know,
946
00:44:10,993 --> 00:44:13,340
that's never been done before.
947
00:44:13,374 --> 00:44:15,756
NARRATOR: Each mirror
is built with actuators,
948
00:44:15,791 --> 00:44:17,137
so its position can be tweaked:
949
00:44:17,171 --> 00:44:21,693
side to side, forward and backward...
950
00:44:21,728 --> 00:44:25,593
just about any position you can think of.
951
00:44:25,628 --> 00:44:27,975
FEINBERG: We'll be figuring
out how to command the mirrors
952
00:44:28,010 --> 00:44:29,977
to essentially go from being
953
00:44:30,012 --> 00:44:32,117
a millimeter misalignment between mirrors
954
00:44:32,152 --> 00:44:35,673
to about a factor of
a million better than that,
955
00:44:35,707 --> 00:44:38,158
about one-10,000th of a human hair
956
00:44:38,192 --> 00:44:40,332
from mirror to mirror.
957
00:44:40,367 --> 00:44:44,716
NARRATOR: The process
begins with a single star.
958
00:44:44,751 --> 00:44:47,892
LAJOIE: So, first thing to
do is take an image of a star.
959
00:44:47,926 --> 00:44:52,551
We picked a very bright star
with very few neighbors.
960
00:44:53,863 --> 00:44:55,589
NARRATOR:
A series of images are taken
961
00:44:55,623 --> 00:44:59,006
with an onboard camera called NIRCam.
962
00:44:59,041 --> 00:45:00,732
LAJOIE: We don't know
what it's going to look like,
963
00:45:00,767 --> 00:45:02,492
so that's going to be very exciting.
964
00:45:02,527 --> 00:45:04,046
And the goal of this game
965
00:45:04,080 --> 00:45:08,257
is to find 18 images of the same star.
966
00:45:08,291 --> 00:45:10,086
MAN:
We're trying to find
967
00:45:10,121 --> 00:45:12,399
where the 18 different spots of light are,
968
00:45:12,433 --> 00:45:13,711
and I see one, two, three, four...
969
00:45:15,436 --> 00:45:17,715
FEINBERG: All right,
who feels ambitious enough
970
00:45:17,749 --> 00:45:20,269
to point at all 18 of these?
971
00:45:20,303 --> 00:45:22,720
FEINBERG: The very first images
that we'll get will actually be of,
972
00:45:22,754 --> 00:45:27,448
essentially, 18 separate spots
that are kind of, like,
973
00:45:27,483 --> 00:45:28,726
18 separate telescopes,
974
00:45:28,760 --> 00:45:32,384
because each mirror kind
of acts like its own telescope.
975
00:45:32,419 --> 00:45:34,214
MAN:
So, let's see, we got
976
00:45:34,248 --> 00:45:38,494
one, two, three, four, five, six...
977
00:45:38,528 --> 00:45:42,118
LAJOIE: Once we find 18
images of the same star...
978
00:45:42,153 --> 00:45:43,982
Eight, nine, ten...
979
00:45:44,017 --> 00:45:45,915
...I can tell you that our team
is going to be very, very happy.
980
00:45:45,950 --> 00:45:49,885
MAN: 15, 16, 17, and 18 is over there.
981
00:45:49,919 --> 00:45:52,957
Definitely looks like all 18 segments.
982
00:45:52,991 --> 00:45:54,303
So that's exactly what we're looking for.
983
00:45:54,337 --> 00:45:56,305
MARCIA RIEKE:
I'm in seventh heaven,
984
00:45:56,339 --> 00:45:57,720
because everything worked,
985
00:45:57,755 --> 00:46:00,412
and none of the issues
we thought could crop up did.
986
00:46:00,447 --> 00:46:02,276
Everything worked right out of the box.
987
00:46:02,311 --> 00:46:03,243
It's so great.
988
00:46:04,554 --> 00:46:07,626
NARRATOR:
But they're not done yet.
989
00:46:07,661 --> 00:46:09,594
The next step is a bit like
990
00:46:09,628 --> 00:46:12,631
putting the pieces of a puzzle together.
991
00:46:12,666 --> 00:46:14,254
FEINBERG:
Our job will be to figure out
992
00:46:14,288 --> 00:46:16,739
which mirror goes with each spot.
993
00:46:16,774 --> 00:46:18,776
For example, there's two mirror segments.
994
00:46:18,810 --> 00:46:20,950
They may be tilted off like this, right?
995
00:46:20,985 --> 00:46:23,953
So, light from the star comes down,
996
00:46:23,988 --> 00:46:26,024
and then one goes this way and
the other goes that way, right?
997
00:46:26,059 --> 00:46:30,511
NARRATOR: Over the next few
weeks, they will move the mirrors
998
00:46:30,546 --> 00:46:33,618
to arrange the images of the star
999
00:46:33,652 --> 00:46:36,414
before bringing them into focus.
1000
00:46:36,448 --> 00:46:37,933
That one's pretty sharp.
1001
00:46:37,967 --> 00:46:39,313
Those other ones are
going to take some more work
1002
00:46:39,348 --> 00:46:40,901
to line up later, I think.
1003
00:46:40,936 --> 00:46:43,490
FEINBERG: Right now, we're
getting 18 separate blurry images,
1004
00:46:43,524 --> 00:46:45,837
but when we're done,
we'll see one bright star,
1005
00:46:45,872 --> 00:46:47,494
and that's when we're going to know
1006
00:46:47,528 --> 00:46:49,910
that we have built the perfect telescope.
1007
00:46:49,945 --> 00:46:54,742
RIEKE: Then I'll be able to take
the science images I'm here for.
1008
00:46:54,777 --> 00:46:56,089
[laughing]
1009
00:46:56,123 --> 00:46:57,815
♪
1010
00:46:57,849 --> 00:46:59,092
NARRATOR:
By mid-March,
1011
00:46:59,126 --> 00:47:02,405
all 18 mirrors are working in harmony,
1012
00:47:02,440 --> 00:47:08,549
and JWST produces
its first fully aligned image.
1013
00:47:08,584 --> 00:47:10,966
♪
1014
00:47:11,000 --> 00:47:16,557
An image of a single star
turns out to be far more.
1015
00:47:16,592 --> 00:47:18,111
FEINBERG:
This is an engineering image
1016
00:47:18,145 --> 00:47:21,597
that was really there just to
say we focused it right,
1017
00:47:21,631 --> 00:47:24,082
and there's a lot of galaxies.
1018
00:47:24,117 --> 00:47:26,464
[chuckling]:
You know?
1019
00:47:26,498 --> 00:47:27,810
You know, the engineers were, like,
1020
00:47:27,845 --> 00:47:29,398
"What are all those galaxies
doing there?"
1021
00:47:29,432 --> 00:47:31,089
[all laughing]
1022
00:47:31,124 --> 00:47:32,850
We're realizing we're the first people
1023
00:47:32,884 --> 00:47:36,957
that have ever seen these galaxies.
1024
00:47:36,992 --> 00:47:39,166
Since the first
Hubble Deep Fields in the '90s,
1025
00:47:39,201 --> 00:47:42,204
where Hubble just stared
at an empty patch of the sky
1026
00:47:42,238 --> 00:47:44,413
for, for days at a time
1027
00:47:44,447 --> 00:47:48,072
and made this beautiful Deep Field...
1028
00:47:48,106 --> 00:47:52,559
We just did that in about under an hour.
1029
00:47:52,593 --> 00:47:54,457
What that makes possible is
1030
00:47:54,492 --> 00:47:56,218
that every field is a deep field now.
1031
00:47:56,252 --> 00:47:58,323
There are observations planned
1032
00:47:58,358 --> 00:47:59,462
that are weeks long,
1033
00:47:59,497 --> 00:48:00,912
instead of just an hour.
1034
00:48:00,947 --> 00:48:03,708
Everything about these images
that I've seen so far
1035
00:48:03,742 --> 00:48:06,435
tells us absolutely this thing
is going to be fantastic.
1036
00:48:06,469 --> 00:48:08,886
FEINBERG: We don't
know what we're going to see,
1037
00:48:08,920 --> 00:48:11,578
but we know we haven't
seen anything like this before.
1038
00:48:11,612 --> 00:48:13,269
This is going to be transformative.
1039
00:48:13,304 --> 00:48:14,270
This is looking amazing.
1040
00:48:14,305 --> 00:48:18,067
♪
1041
00:48:18,102 --> 00:48:21,277
FEINBERG: We built the right
telescope, and that's really the key.
1042
00:48:26,110 --> 00:48:27,801
NARRATOR:
Finally,
1043
00:48:27,835 --> 00:48:31,218
the first official images are released.
1044
00:48:31,253 --> 00:48:35,360
And they are spectacular.
1045
00:48:35,395 --> 00:48:36,637
FEINBERG:
You know, I guess my reaction
1046
00:48:36,672 --> 00:48:38,156
was just a total sense of wonderment.
1047
00:48:38,191 --> 00:48:40,676
♪
1048
00:48:40,710 --> 00:48:41,884
ZURBUCHEN: It's like
you have new glasses, right?
1049
00:48:41,919 --> 00:48:43,610
That you see through the fog.
1050
00:48:45,405 --> 00:48:49,719
NARRATOR: The Southern
Ring Nebula, where JWST reveals
1051
00:48:49,754 --> 00:48:53,654
a pair of stars orbiting each other,
1052
00:48:53,689 --> 00:48:56,588
cocooned by layers of gas and dust
1053
00:48:56,623 --> 00:49:01,352
thrown off by one of the stars
as it slowly dies.
1054
00:49:01,386 --> 00:49:02,594
COLOÓN: I almost have no words, you know?
1055
00:49:02,629 --> 00:49:04,010
[laughing]:
In that sense.
1056
00:49:04,044 --> 00:49:07,185
Because it's, it's a
feat of engineering, right?
1057
00:49:07,220 --> 00:49:08,462
But it's also,
1058
00:49:08,497 --> 00:49:12,673
"Wow, our universe is
beautiful."
1059
00:49:14,123 --> 00:49:15,953
So, my favorite image is
the Carina Nebula.
1060
00:49:17,851 --> 00:49:19,197
NARRATOR:
While Hubble gave us
1061
00:49:19,232 --> 00:49:21,993
a dramatic look at this stellar landscape,
1062
00:49:22,028 --> 00:49:27,102
JWST is already revealing so much more.
1063
00:49:27,136 --> 00:49:30,105
MILAM: Star formation
in general is something
1064
00:49:30,139 --> 00:49:31,623
that's been such an enigma for us.
1065
00:49:31,658 --> 00:49:37,319
Now we can see these baby stars
and planets being formed
1066
00:49:37,353 --> 00:49:41,323
that we've never had access to before.
1067
00:49:41,357 --> 00:49:43,566
NARRATOR:
Stephan's Quintet.
1068
00:49:43,601 --> 00:49:45,534
The telescope's array of instruments
1069
00:49:45,568 --> 00:49:48,502
shows how four of these five galaxies
1070
00:49:48,537 --> 00:49:52,265
swirl and pull at each other,
1071
00:49:52,299 --> 00:49:57,856
their cosmic dance triggering
the birth of new stars.
1072
00:49:57,891 --> 00:50:00,514
MENZEL: James Webb is seeing
the distant parts of the universe
1073
00:50:00,549 --> 00:50:02,482
in a wavelength that has never been
1074
00:50:02,516 --> 00:50:04,691
seen before in this clarity.
1075
00:50:06,865 --> 00:50:11,249
NARRATOR: And Webb's
first official Deep Field...
1076
00:50:11,284 --> 00:50:16,772
a patch of sky absolutely
packed with galaxies,
1077
00:50:16,806 --> 00:50:22,536
some whose light is stretched
and magnified by gravity.
1078
00:50:22,571 --> 00:50:26,057
FEINBERG: There's actually a
galaxy that's sort of twisted and bent,
1079
00:50:26,092 --> 00:50:29,095
and it looks a lot like a Dalí painting,
1080
00:50:29,129 --> 00:50:32,098
where there's this, you know,
clock that's, like, melting.
1081
00:50:32,132 --> 00:50:33,927
And, you know in the case of the clock,
1082
00:50:33,961 --> 00:50:35,342
it's time that's being warped.
1083
00:50:35,377 --> 00:50:38,242
But here, it's actually
space that's being warped.
1084
00:50:38,276 --> 00:50:39,760
It's like life is imitating art and,
1085
00:50:39,795 --> 00:50:43,661
you know, just this feeling
of, of surrealness that
1086
00:50:43,695 --> 00:50:46,629
this is the actual universe
that we're looking at.
1087
00:50:49,011 --> 00:50:50,944
ESPINOZA:
It sounds like
1088
00:50:50,978 --> 00:50:52,325
living in a science fiction movie,
1089
00:50:52,359 --> 00:50:54,706
but we are not living in that anymore.
1090
00:50:54,741 --> 00:50:56,156
This is science, this is real.
1091
00:50:56,191 --> 00:50:58,331
NARRATOR:
All of these galaxies,
1092
00:50:58,365 --> 00:51:01,955
some about 13 billion years old,
1093
00:51:01,989 --> 00:51:07,788
appear in a spot of the sky
the size of a grain of sand
1094
00:51:07,823 --> 00:51:11,447
held at arm's length.
1095
00:51:11,482 --> 00:51:13,277
MILAM:
It really makes you step back
1096
00:51:13,311 --> 00:51:14,485
and think, "Oh, my goodness," you know,
1097
00:51:14,519 --> 00:51:19,662
"that's just a speck of,
of cosmic existence.
1098
00:51:19,697 --> 00:51:20,939
"And look at what we can see.
1099
00:51:20,974 --> 00:51:26,359
"We can see thousands of
galaxies in a speck of sand.
1100
00:51:26,393 --> 00:51:29,016
So how infinite
the universe must be."
1101
00:51:29,051 --> 00:51:31,571
♪
1102
00:51:31,605 --> 00:51:34,021
NARRATOR:
These first images
1103
00:51:34,056 --> 00:51:39,441
offer a tiny glimpse of what will come.
1104
00:51:39,475 --> 00:51:40,856
ZURBUCHEN:
Think of it as like
1105
00:51:40,890 --> 00:51:43,376
blowing open a door to a treasure chest,
1106
00:51:43,410 --> 00:51:48,795
where we're just looking in,
we're peering from the door.
1107
00:51:48,829 --> 00:51:50,728
STRAUGHN:
The great thing is that really,
1108
00:51:50,762 --> 00:51:52,074
this is just the beginning.
1109
00:51:52,109 --> 00:51:53,317
Today is just the beginning.
1110
00:51:53,351 --> 00:51:56,009
We'll be able to go much, much deeper.
1111
00:51:56,043 --> 00:51:58,253
And this telescope is going to do
1112
00:51:58,287 --> 00:52:00,910
what we designed it to do.
85512
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