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The Home Stretch Almost! Science with the Hubble and James Webb Space Telescope V

JWST has Made tremendous progress in the last few years. JWST Is fully immersed in integration and test, but testing JWST is a formable challenge. JWST's size, complexity, and cryogenic characteristics require a multifaceted test plan to verify mission readiness. Each of these tests are opportunities to uncover issues which must be corrected to be able to move forward. All observatory control, science planning, and science data processing operational systems are on schedule.

JWST Hubble↗

Comparative NIR Detector Characterization for NGST

List of publications for final perfomance report are: Detectors for the JWST Near-Infrared Spectrometer Rauscher, B.J., Strada, P., Regan, M.W., Figer, D.F., Jakobsen, P., Moseley, H.S., & Boeker, T. 2004, SPIE Detectors for the JWST Near-Infrared Spectrometer Rauscher, B.J., Strada, P., Regan, M.W., Figer, D.F., Jakobsen, P., Moseley, H.S., & Boeker, T. 2004, AAS, 203, 124.07 Independent Testing of JWST Detector Prototypes Figer, D.F., Rauscher, B. J., Regan, M. W., Morse, E., Balleza, J., Bergeron, L., & Stockman, H. S. 2003 , SPIE, 5 167 The Independent Detector Testing Laboratory and the NGST Detector Program Figer, D.F., Agronin, M., Balleza, J., Barkhouser, R., Bergeron, L., Greene, G. R., McCandliss, S. R., Rauscher, B. J., Reeves, T., Regan, M. W., Sharma, U., Stockman, H. S. 2003, SPIE, 4850,981 Intra-Pixel Sensitivity in NIR Detectors for NGST Sharma, U., Figer, D.F., Sivaramakrishnan, A., Agronin, M., Balleza, J., Barkhouser, R., Bergeron, L., Greene, G. R., McCandliss, S. R., Rauscher, B. J., Reeves, T., Regan, M. W., Stockman, H. S. 2003, SPIE, 4850,1001 NIRCAM Image Simulations for NGST Wavefiont SensinglPS A. Sivaramakrishnan, D. Figer, H. Bushouse, H. S. Stockman (STScI),C. Ohara , D. Redding (JPL), M. Im (IPAC), & J. Offenberg (Raytheon) 2003, SPIE, 4850,388 Ultra-Low Background Operation of Near-Infrared Detectors for NGS Rauscher, B. J., Figer, D. F., Agronin, M., Balleza, J., Barkhouser, R., Bergeron, L., Greene, G. R., McCandliss, S. R., Reeves, T., Regan, M. W., Sharma, U., Stockman, H. S. 2003, SPIE, 4850,962 The Independent Detector Testing Laboratory and the JWST Detector Program Figer, D.F. et a1.2003, AAS201, #131.05

Greenhouse, Matthew↗

James Webb Space Telescope: Supporting Multiple Ground System Transitions in One Year

Ideas, requirements, and concepts developed during the very early phases of the mission design often conflict with the reality of a situation once the prime contractors are awarded. This happened for the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) as well. The high level requirement of a common real-time ground system for both the Integration and Test (I&T), as well as the Operation phase of the mission is meant to reduce the cost and time needed later in the mission development for re-certification of databases, command and control systems, scripts, display pages, etc. In the case of JWST, the early Phase A flight software development needed a real-time ground system and database prior to the spacecraft prime contractor being selected. To compound the situation, the very low level requirements for the real-time ground system were not well defined. These two situations caused the initial real-time ground system to be switched out for a system that was previously used by the Bight software development team. To meet the high-!evel requirement, a third ground system was selected based on the prime spacecraft contractor needs and JWST Project decisions. The JWST ground system team has responded to each of these changes successfully. The lessons learned from each transition have not only made each transition smoother, but have also resolved issues earlier in the mission development than what would normally occur.

Detter, Ryan↗

An Overview of the James Webb Space Telescope Project

The JWST project at the GSFC is responsible for the development, launch, operations and science data processing for the James Webb Space Telescope. The JWST project is currently in phase B with its launch scheduled for August 2011. The project is a partnership between NASA, ESA and CSA. The U.S. JWST team is in place with the selection of Northrop Grumman Space Technology (NGST) as the prime contractor for the telescope and the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) as the mission operations and science data processing lead. This paper will provide an overview of the current JWST architecture and mission status including technology developments and risks.

Sabelhaus, Phillip A.↗

James Webb Space Telescope Status

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is the first deployable infrared to millimeter wave space telescopes. We will describe the progress on JWST and introduce other speakers in the session. The JWST will operate at the Sun-Earth Lagrange point L2, where radiative cooling lowers the telescope and instrument temperatures to about 35 K. It will have an 18-segment beryllium primary mirror with a 25 m2 area fitting inside a 6.6m circumscribed circle, and will provide spectroscopy and imaging over the wavelength range from 0.6 to 28 microns. It is planned for launch in 2011 on an Ariane 5 rocket. The project is a partnership of NASA, ESA, and CSA, and the prime contractor is Northrop Grumman. See http://www.jwst.nasa.gov for more details on JWST.

Mather, John C.↗

The Realities of Managing Complex Space Missions like the James Webb Space Telescope

An overview of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) project and its status are presented. The JWST is a deployable infrared telescope with a 6.5 meter diameter segmented, adjustable primary mirror. It has a cryogenic temperature telescope and instruments suited for infrared performance. It will be launched in 2013 on an European Space Agency-supplied Ariane 5 rocket 20 Sun-Earth L2 for a 5-year mission. Compared to other telescopes the JWST: has a 2.7 time longer diameter and 2.7 time longer wavelength capability than the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), 38 times increased sensitivity at K band and 8 times increased sensitivity at H band than the HST NICMOS; and, 8-24 times better angular resolution than the Spitzer. An instrument overview and integration and test flow overview are provided. The JWST project management approach, including organizational chart, program phases, technology status, and project critical path summary, are included. Additionally, project management tools and guidelines are are outlined.

Sabelhaus, Phil↗

James Webb Space Telescope - L2 Communications for Science Data Processing

JWST is the first NASA mission at the second Lagrange point (L2) to identify the need for data rates higher than 10 megabits per second (Mbps). JWST will produce approximately 235 Gigabits of science data every day that will be downlinked to the Deep Space Network (DSN). To get the data rates desired required moving away from X-band frequencies to Ka-band frequencies. To accomplish this transition, the DSN is upgrading its infrastructure. This new range of frequencies are becoming the new standard for high data rate science missions at L2. With the new frequency range, the issues of alternatives antenna deployment, off nominal scenarios, NASA implementation of the Ka-band 26 GHz, and navigation requirements will be discussed in this paper. JWST is also using Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems (CCSDS) standard process for reliable file transfer using CCSDS File Delivery Protocol (CFDP). For JWST the use of the CFDP protocol provides level zero processing at the DSN site. This paper will address NASA implementations of Ground Stations in support of Ka-band 26 GHz and lesson learned from implementing a file base (CFDP) protocol operational system.

Johns, Alan↗

MEMS Microshutter Array System for James Webb Space Telescope

A complex MEMS microshutter array system has been developed at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) for use as a multi-object aperture array for a Near-Infrared Spectrometer (NIRSpec). The NIRSpec is one of the four major instruments carried by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), the next generation of space telescope after the Hubble Space Telescope retires. The microshutter arrays (MSAs) are designed for the selective transmission of light with high efficiency and high contrast. It is demonstrated in Figure 1 how a MSA is used as a multiple object selector in deep space. The MSAs empower the NIRSpec instrument simultaneously collect spectra from more than 100 targets therefore increases the instrument efficiency 100 times or more. The MSA assembly is one of three major innovations on JWST and the first major MEMS devices serving observation missions in space. The MSA system developed at NASA GSFC is assembled with four quadrant fully addressable 365x171 shutter arrays that are actuated magnetically, latched and addressed electrostatically. As shown in Figure 2, each MSA is fabricated out of a 4' silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafer using MEMS bulk-micromachining technology. Individual shutters are close-packed silicon nitride membranes with a pixel size close to 100x200 pm (Figure 3). Shutters are patterned with a torsion flexure permitting shutters to open 90 degrees with a minimized mechanical stress concentration. In order to prevent light leak, light shields are made on to the surrounding frame of each shutter to cover the gaps between the shutters and the Game (Figure 4). Micro-ribs and sub-micron bumps are tailored on hack walls and light shields, respectively, to prevent sticktion, shown in Figures 4 and 5. JWST instruments are required to operate at cryogenic temperatures as low as 35K, though they are to be subjected to various levels of ground tests at room temperature. The shutters should therefore maintain nearly flat in the entire temperature range between 35K and 300K. Through intensive numerical simulations and experimental studies, an optically opaque and electrically conductive metal-nitride thin film was selected as a coating material deposited on the shutters with the best thermal-expansion match to silicon nitride - the shutter blade thin film material. A shutter image shown in Figure 6 was taken at room temperature, presenting shutters slightly bowing down as expected. Shutters become flat when the temperature decreases to 35K. The MSAs are then bonded to silicon substrates that are fabricated out of 6" single-silicon wafers in the thickness of 2mm. The bonding is conducted using a novel single-sided indium flip-chip bonding technology. Indium bumps fabricated on a substrate are shown in Figure 7. There are 180,000 indium bumps for bonding a flight format MSA array to its substrate. Besides a MSA, each substrate houses five customer-designed ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) multiplexer/address chips for 2-dimensional addressing, twenty capacitors, two temperature sensors, numbers of resistors and all necessary interconnects, as shown in Figure 8. Complete MSA quadrant assemblies have been successfully manufactured and fully functionally tested. The assemblies have passed a series of critical reviews required by JWST in satisfying all the design specifications. The qualification tests cover programmable 2-D addressing, life tests, optical contrast tests, and environmental tests including radiation, vibration, and acoustic tests. A 2-D addressing pattern with 'ESA' letters programmed in a MSA is shown in Figure 9. The MSAs passed 1 million cycle life tests and achieved high optical contrast over 10,000. MSA teams are now making progress in final fabrication, testing and assembly (Figure 10). The delivery of flight-format MSA system is scheduled at the end of 2008 for being integrated to the focal plane of the NIRSpec detectors.

Li, Mary J.↗

The Scientific Capabilities of the James Webb Space Telescope

The scientific capabilities of the James Webb Space Telescope fall into four themes. The End of the Dark Ages: First Light and Reionization theme seeks to identify the first luminous sources to form and to determine the ionization history of the universe. The Assembly of Galaxies theme seeks to determine how galaxies and dark matter, gas, stars, metals morphological structures, and active nuclei within them evolved from the epoch of reionization to the present. The Birth of Stars and Protoplanetary Systems and the Origins of Life theme seeks to determine the physical and chemical properties of planetary systems around nearby stars and of our own, and investigate the potential for life in those systems. A comprehensive, top-level review of JWST sciences was published in the journal Space Science Reviews (Gardner et al. 2006, SSR, 123, 485). That paper gives details of the 4 JWST science themes, and describes the design of the observatory and ground system. Since that paper was published, the JWST Science Working Group, working with members of the astronomical community, has continued to develop the science case for JWST, giving more details in a series of white papers. In this poster, the main science themes and white papers are reviewed.

Gardner, Jonathan P.↗

On-Orbit Multi-Field Wavefront Control with a Kalman Filter

A document describes a multi-field wavefront control (WFC) procedure for the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) on-orbit optical telescope element (OTE) fine-phasing using wavefront measurements at the NIRCam pupil. The control is applied to JWST primary mirror (PM) segments and secondary mirror (SM) simultaneously with a carefully selected ordering. Through computer simulations, the multi-field WFC procedure shows that it can reduce the initial system wavefront error (WFE), as caused by random initial system misalignments within the JWST fine-phasing error budget, from a few dozen micrometers to below 50 nm across the entire NIRCam Field of View, and the WFC procedure is also computationally stable as the Monte-Carlo simulations indicate. With the incorporation of a Kalman Filter (KF) as an optical state estimator into the WFC process, the robustness of the JWST OTE alignment process can be further improved. In the presence of some large optical misalignments, the Kalman state estimator can provide a reasonable estimate of the optical state, especially for those degrees of freedom that have a significant impact on the system WFE. The state estimate allows for a few corrections to the optical state to push the system towards its nominal state, and the result is that a large part of the WFE can be eliminated in this step. When the multi-field WFC procedure is applied after Kalman state estimate and correction, the stability of fine-phasing control is much more certain. Kalman Filter has been successfully applied to diverse applications as a robust and optimal state estimator. In the context of space-based optical system alignment based on wavefront measurements, a KF state estimator can combine all available wavefront measurements, past and present, as well as measurement and actuation error statistics to generate a Maximum-Likelihood optimal state estimator. The strength and flexibility of the KF algorithm make it attractive for use in real-time optical system alignment when WFC alone cannot effectively align the system.

Lou, John↗

The James Webb Space Telescope and its Potential for Exoplanet Science

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is a large aperture (6.5 meter), cryogenic space telescope with a suite of near and mid-infrared instruments covering the wavelength range of 0.6 microns to 28 microns. JWST s primary science goal is to detect and characterize the first galaxies. It will also study the assembly of galaxies, star formation, and the formation of evolution of planetary systems. Recent progress in hardware development for the observatory will be presented, including a discussion of the status of JWST s optical system and Beryllium mirror fabrication, progress with sunshield prototypes, and recent changes in the integration and test configuration. We also review the expected scientific performance of the observatory for observations of exosolar planets by means of transit imaging and spectroscopy and direct imaging. We also review the recent discovery of Fomalhaut B and implications for debris disk imaging nd exoplanet detection with JWST.

Clampin, Mark↗

Progress on the James Webb Space Telescope

I will describe the scientific program anticipated for the James Webb Space Telescope and the progress in its construction. When the JWST was conceived in 1995 it was expected to make its greatest contributions in the study of the first objects to form after the Big Bang, in the evolution of galaxies, and in the formation and evolution of stars and planetary systems. Since then, the age-distance-redshift relation has become clear with the precise measurement of the Hubble constant, the discovery of the accelerating universe, and the remarkable agreement of CMBR calculations with direct measurements of the large-scale structure. So what is left and what has changed? Galaxy formation and growth is still mysterious, star formation is still hidden, the dark matter and dark energy are still unobservable, and the tools at hand may or may not help enough. But the JWST, as a general-purpose observatory, will be available for imaginative use, and is just what Simon White's polemic seems to request. As an example, the JWST should be quite capable of observing transiting exoplanets with remarkable precision, even though there was no requirement to do so, and its coronagraphs will be very good even without a monolithic primary mirror. The JWST mission has now been officially approved by NASA and is in the Federal budget. It is planned for launch in 2014. Flight instruments will begin to arrive at Goddard in mid-2010, and the first flight mirror segments have already passed their first cryogenic tests. The flight detectors have been selected and have remarkable performance; for example, the near IR detectors have dark currents of the order of 10 electrons per pixel per hour.

Mather, John C.↗

ATLAST-9.2: A Deployable Large Aperture UVOIR Space Telescope

We present the results of a study of a deployable version of the Advanced Technology Large Aperture Space Telescope (ATLAST) that could be launched on an Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV). ATLAST is a concept for a next-generation UVOIR observatory to follow HST and JWST. The observatory retains significant heritage from JWST, thereby taking advantage of technologies and engineering already developed for that mission. At the same time, we have identified several design changes to the JWST architecture, some of which are required due to the demanding wavefront error requirements at visible wavelengths. The optical telescope assembly has a segmented 9.2-meter aperture and consists of 36 hexagonal glass mirrors, each of which is I.3l5m in size (flat-to-flat). The telescope can be folded to fit in the 6.5m fairing on the planned upgrade to the Delta-IV heavy launch vehicle. Near-real time wavefront sensing and control is performed on-board the telescope using stars in the field of view to deliver diffraction limited imaging performance at 500nm wavelength. The optical design of the telescope provides an 8x20 arcmin FOV in which 4-5 instruments can be accommodated, plus fine guidance and wavefront sensors. Unlike JWST, the OTA sits at the end of a multi-gimbaled arm, allowing pitch and roll motion, and is isolated from the sunshield and spacecraft bus by an active isolation system. Our design permits servicing in order to extend the life of the observatory.

Oegerle, William R.↗

Hybrid Architecture Active Wavefront Sensing and Control

A method was developed for performing relatively high-speed wavefront sensing and control to overcome thermal instabilities in a segmented primary mirror telescope [e.g., James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) at L2], by using the onboard fine guidance sensor (FGS) to minimize expense and complexity. This FGS performs centroiding on a bright star to feed the information to the pointing and control system. The proposed concept is to beam split the image of the guide star (or use a single defocused guide star image) to perform wavefront sensing using phase retrieval techniques. Using the fine guidance sensor star image for guiding and fine phasing eliminates the need for other, more complex ways of achieving very accurate sensing and control that is needed for UV-optical applications. The phase retrieval occurs nearly constantly, so passive thermal stability over fourteen days is not required. Using the FGS as the sensor, one can feed segment update information to actuators on the primary mirror that can update the primary mirror segment fine phasing with this frequency. Because the thermal time constants of the primary mirror are very slow compared to this duration, the mirror will appear extremely stable during observations (to the level of accuracy of the sensing and control). The sensing can use the same phase retrieval techniques as the JWST by employing an additional beam splitter, and having each channel go through a weak lens (one positive and one negative). The channels can use common or separate detectors. Phase retrieval can be performed onboard. The actuation scheme would include a coarse stage able to achieve initial alignment of several millimeters of range (similar to JWST and can use a JWST heritage sensing approach in the science camera) and a fine stage capable of continual updates.

Feinberg, Lee↗

Engineering the Future: Cell 6

This slide presentation reviews the development of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), explaining the development using a systems engineering methodology. Included are slides showing the organizational chart, the JWST Science Goals, the size of the primary mirror, and full scale mockups of the JSWT. Also included is a review of the JWST Optical Telescope Requirements, a review of the preliminary design and analysis, the technology development required to create the JWST, with particular interest in the specific mirror technology that was required, and views of the mirror manufacturing process. Several slides review the process of verification and validation by testing and analysis, including a diagram of the Cryogenic Test Facility at Marshall, and views of the primary mirror while being tested in the cryogenic facility.

Stahl, P. H.↗

Overview of the James Webb Space Telescope

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is a large aperture (6.5 meter), cryogenic space telescope with a suite of near and mid-infrared instruments covering the wavelength range of 0.6 microns to 28 microns. JWST's primary science goals are to detect and characterize the first galaxies, and study the assembly of galaxies, star formation, and the formation of evolution of planetary systems. JWST is a segmented mirror telescope operating at approx.40K, a temperature achieved by passive cooling of the observatory, via a large, 5-layer membrane-based sunshield. We will review the scientific capabilities of JWST in the context of their synergy with survey facilities, and with the next generation of ground-based Extremely Large Telescopes. We will also present an overview of the observatory design, and report on recent progress in the construction of the observatory and its science instruments.

Clampin, Mark↗

Status Update on the James Webb Space Telescope Project

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is a large (6.6 m), cold (<50 K), infrared (IR)-optimized space observatory that will be launched in approx.2018. The observatory will have four instruments covering 0.6 to 28 micron, including a multi-object spectrograph, two integral fie ld units, and grisms optimized for exoplanets. I will review JWST's k ey science themes, as well as exciting new ideas from the recent JWST Frontiers Workshop. I will summarize the technical progress and miss ion status. Recent highlights: All mirrors have been fabricated, polished, and gold-coated; the mirror is expected to be diffraction-limite d down to a wavelength of 2 micron. The MIRI instrument just complete d its cryogenic testing. STScI has released exposure time calculators and sensitivity charts to enable scientists to start thinking about how to use JWST for their science.

Rigby, Jane R.↗

Status Update on the James Webb Space Telescope Project

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is a large (6.6 m), cold <50 K), infrared (IR)-optimized space observatory that will be launched in approx.2018. The observatory will have four instruments covering 0.6 to 28 micron, including a multi-object spectrograph, two integral field units, and grisms optimized for exoplanets. I will review JWST's key science themes, as well as exciting new ideas from the recent JWST Frontiers Workshop. I will summarize the technical progress and mission status. Recent highlights: All mirrors have been fabricated, polished, and gold-coated; the mirror is expected to be diffraction-limited down to a wavelength of 2 microns. The MIRI instrument just completed its cryogenic testing. STScI has released exposure time calculators and sensitivity charts to enable scientists to start thinking about how to use JWST for their science.

Rigby, Jane R.↗