James Webb Telescope spreads golden wings one last time on Earth before heading out to space
India TodayThe much-awaited window to the far reaches of the cosmos is in the final stages of preparation as the James Webb Telescope opened its iconic primary mirror for one last time on Earth, marking a key milestone in the preparations for its launch set for later this year. Following the mirror's safety checks, "all of Webb’s many movable parts will have confirmed in testing that they can perform their intended operations after being exposed to the expected launch environment," the James Webb Telescope team said in a statement. The lightweight mirrors, coatings, actuators and mechanisms, electronics and thermal blankets when fully deployed form a single precise mirror that is truly remarkable,” said Lee Feinberg, optical telescope element manager for Webb at Nasa's Goddard Space Flight Center. Scientists are hopeful that once deployed the James Webb telescope will solve mysteries of our Solar System, look beyond the distant worlds around other stars, and probe the mysterious structures and origins of our universe and our place in it.