James Webb Space Telescope to be launched

The Hubble Telescope has been a wonderful tool for learning about space, but its usefulness is coming to an end.

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), a scientific successor to Hubble, will look at planetary systems and stars in a new light and has the potential to reveal much that we have not seen. This was the message delivered by Lauren Hollen and Dale Hawkins when they spoke at the February meeting of American Association of University Women.

Hollen is a retired teacher who has had a life-long interest in all subjects involving science.

Hawkins is an engineer and a pilot with a deep interest in space and astronomy. Together they are assisting NASA with an outreach mission to inform the public about new discoveries which expand our knowledge of the universe.

The JWST is named for James Webb. As NASA Administrator from 1961 through 1968, he supervised the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo lunar missions. Scheduled to launch March 21, 2021, the JWST will be positioned one million miles from Earth, farther than any previous space telescope. JWST will be launched by rockets, but can never be serviced once it is in place because of the distance from Earth. It will gather enough data for scientists (and citizen scientists!) to study for decades. Visit http://www.nasa.gov for information on citizen science projects.

AAUW sponsors Tech Trek, a summer camp experience for selected eighth grade girls. They learn about space, telescopes and other scientific things. This meeting helped AAUW members “catch up” with girls who go to Tech Trek. Both men and women with a two-year degree or higher are eligible to join AAUW. Call (661) 972-6508 for membership information.