Huge, tennis-court sized telescope model on display in New York City
A life-size model of a huge new space observatory described as the successor to the Hubble Space Telescope is on display at the World Science Festival at New York City's Battery Park.
A 1:1 replica of the James Webb Space Telescope is constructed in Battery Park in lower Manhattan. The 40-foot tall telescope is billed as the successor to the Hubble Telescope and is the centerpiece of the upcoming World Science Festival, which runs from June 2-6.
Newscom
New York
A life-size model of a huge new space observatory billed as the successor to the Hubble Space Telescope is taking on the Big Apple this week at the World Science Festival.
The gigantic telescope model – roughly the size of a tennis court – will be on display at New York City's Battery Park from Tuesday through Sunday, June 6. The actual James Webb Space Telescope is slated to launch in 2014.
"The Webb is the world's next great space telescope, and is the scientific successor to the Hubble," said Sally Koris, spokeswoman for Northrop Grumman, the company contracted by NASA to build the telescope."
IN PICTURES: Images from the Hubble telescope
The full-scale model on display is constructed mainly of aluminum and steel, and weighs 12,000 pounds (5,400 kg). It measures about 80 feet (24 meters) long, 40 feet (12 meters) wide and 40 feet (12 meters) tall.
The James Webb telescope will observe the universe in long-wavelength infrared light to peer at the most distant objects in the universe, beyond the reach of ground based telescopes or the Hubble observatory. It will study the origins of stars and galaxies in the universe, as well as a host of other cosmic questions.
