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Credit & Copyright: Chris Gunn, NASA
Explanation:
Ghosts aren't
actually hovering over the
James Webb Space Telescope.
But the lights are out as it stands with
gold tinted mirror segments and support structures folded
in Goddard Space Flight Center's Spacecraft Systems Development and
Integration Facility clean room.
Following vibration and acoustic testing,
bright flashlights and ultraviolet lights are played over
the stationary telescope looking
for contamination, easier to spot in a darkened room.
In the dimness the camera's long exposure creates the ghostly apparitions,
blurring the moving lights and engineers.
A scientific successor
to Hubble, the
James Webb Space Telescope
is optimized for the infrared exploration of the early Universe.
Its planned launch is in 2018
from French Guiana on a European Space Agency Ariane 5 rocket.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day