NASA's James Webb Space Telescope is the most powerful telescope in the history of humanity, and one of the most ambitious engineering projects ever attempted. It will witness the birth of stars and galaxies at the edge of time and probe alien skies for signs of life. In this new documentary from Quanta, JWST’s lead scientists and engineers discuss what inspired the telescope, how it was built, the extraordinary challenges it will face upon launch, and its potential discoveries.
Read the feature article at Quanta: https://www.quantamagazine.org/why-nasas-james-webb-space-telescope-matters-so-much-20211203/
Quanta Magazine is an editorially independent publication supported by the Simons Foundation.