• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • IEEE.org
  • IEEE Xplore
  • IEEE Standards
  • IEEE Spectrum
  • More Sites

WIE Magazine

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Features
  • Columns/Departments
  • Multimedia
  • Contact
  • Awards

Commanding the James Webb Space Telescope: OSS and Event-Driven Operations

May 15, 2023 by Kyle Elliott

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is a space-based, near- to mid-infrared observatory that follows a novel engineering design: Unlike its infrared predecessors such as the Spitzer Space Telescope and Herschel Space Observatory, and many other observatories of similar designs, JWST employs the use of a segmented primary mirror and a Sunshield the size of a tennis court. The 6.5-meter diameter primary mirror renders a light gathering power that is about 6.25 times greater than that of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), and, coupled with the fact that it reflects infrared light, enables us to see as far back as about 250 million years following the Big Bang. Orbiting around the second Lagrange Point (L2), roughly 1.5 million kilometers from Earth, JWST enjoys a space environment that imposes fewer constraints on activities than low-Earth orbit does. For instance, there is no South Atlantic Anomaly bombarding spacecraft electronics with high-energy protons, or terminator transitions causing changes in the electrical and thermal environments. All these features enable JWST to address fundamental questions in astronomy surrounding multiple topics, ranging from the evolution of protoplanetary systems, stars, and galaxies, beginning with the very first of their kind, to extrasolar planetary atmospheres and the origins of life.
For more about this article see link below.
https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10113571
For the open access PDF link of this article please click here.

Filed Under: Past Features Tagged With: Earth, Extrasolar planets, Observatories, Protons, Space vehicles, Stars, Telescopes

Primary Sidebar

Current Issue

Get the entire issue now

About the Magazine

IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine is the first magazine to focus on issues facing women who study or work in IEEE’s fields of interest.

IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine strives to recognize women’s outstanding achievements in electrical and electronics engineering as well as enhance networking and to promote membership in IEEE Women in Engineering.

The publication also advocates for women in leadership roles and career advancement for women in STEM professions, and it facilitates the development of programs and activities that promote the entry into and retention of women in engineering programs.

POPULAR ARTICLES

Madelyn Flickinger: Creating connections in medicine

Last summer, as 21-year-old Madelyn Flickinger and her fellow panelists prepared to share their experiences as transplant recipients, donors, and caregivers at the American Transplant Congress, they wondered whether medical professionals would take the time to sit in on a patient-led panel. By the time the presentation started, though, there were nearly a hundred people in the audience. Every seat was taken. People lined the back walls.

Read More…

Search

Past Issues

Footer

IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine is published quarterly by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. Headquarters: 3 Park Avenue, 17th Floor, New York, NY 10016-5997 USA.

The magazine is archived in IEEE Xplore, and articles from all issues are available for download.

Home | Sitemap | Contact & Support | Accessibility | Nondiscrimination Policy | IEEE Ethics Reporting | IEEE Privacy Policy | Terms

© Copyright 2025 IEEE - All rights reserved. A public charity, IEEE is the world's largest technical professional organization dedicated to advancing technology for the benefit of humanity.