The James Webb Space telescope is due for launch next year in October 2018. I have been following the construction and testing of this mind-bogglingly complicated bit of engineering for nearly two years. I have been watching via the live camera feed at:
https://jwst.nasa.gov/webcam.html. Just how complicated this construction and testing has been has been a real eye-opener for me. The enthusiasm of those participating in the project shone through at the media briefings. What an honour to be part of such project and such a team. The telescope was named after the second administrator at NASA who played a key role in the Apollo missions that put a man on the moon.
Never before has such a complex mission been undertaken, it is to orbit at a distance of one million miles from earth. From launch to the of the unfolding and deployment, the process will take 160 days, including the testing and perfecting the alignment of the mirrors. I found this NASA video that shows the process far better than I can explain it.
I simply can't wait to see this accomplished and just hope that nothing goes wrong. I am sure those 160 days will be a nail-biting time for those involved in the project. At a cost of 10 billion dollars it is going to be a stressful time for NASA. I think it only fair to mention that the cost of building the US's latest aircraft carrier also cost around 10 billion dollars, so the JWST is just a drop in the ocean compared to the USA's military budget.
If all goes well I am sure that this telescope will reveal and unlock many secrets and perhaps even be able to answer that age old question, are we alone in the universe?