There are no photos from this trip due to the fact that we were in a facility where cameras are security issues.
Looking Back:
This was such an amazing trip and I was so incredibly lucky that I was on it. Even though it was a long car ride up there and back, every minute in the car was worth it.
When we first got there it took a while to get everyone a badge and we had to wait for our escort because we were actually early for once. Once the escort arrived we walked through the campus to another building in which we went to a large conference room. We spent about an hour listening to a presenter talk about different statistics about the telescope and various aspects that went into building it. After the presenter was finished we split into groups and went on tours of the company. We went to three places in Northrop Grumman; the museum, the building where the test sunshield is, and the machine shop. In the museum they have models of everything that the company has ever build. It varies from planes to drones to spacecrafts. It was amazing how much time they put into displaying their work and how many projects they work on. Going into the building where the test sunshield is was maybe a once in a lifetime experience. To go into the room we had to put on hair nets and smocks because they didn't want more contamination than there already is. Once I got inside the room it felt like I was in some sort of dream, it was so unreal to be that close to something so important. Aside from the occasional "wow", I was speechless. I couldn't believe that I was seeing a part of something that is going to add to, confirm, and maybe even change what we know about the universe. I can still see a clear image of the sunshield in my mind. The last place that my group visited was the machine shop where they made different parts of the telescope and parts for the other projects they work on. The best part of the machine shop was being able to see a part of the base of the telescope that is going into space. After our tour we went back to the conference room for lunch and a Q and A with an designer and engineer. All of the questions asked were very interesting but, I was hoping for a more detailed response from the person answering the questions. We had so many questions that we stayed longer than we were supposed to, which I predicted, and ended up having a longer car ride home.
Looking Beyond:
Like I said earlier this telescope is going to add to, confirm, and maybe even change what we know about the universe. The telescope will be able to see even farther than Hubble can. It can see farther because it is made for the infrared spectrum. The reason they need it to be infrared is because as the universe stretches the light gets stretched from the blue and all the way past red, which means it is stretched past the visible spectrum of light. The JWST is also made to read what other planets and starts are made of. The way they find what is on a planet is by looking at the chemical make up of the light that is shining on it from behind that goes around it. By having this technology we will be able to see if there are man made elements on other planets and stars, thus telling us if it capable to live on and if it inhabits intelligent life.
Takeaways:
This trip was so much fun. Even though we were there to see something amazing, I feel that it was also a bonding experience for each car. I had a great time in the car I was in because of the mash of personalities. The car ride back was a lot funnier than the ride there and I got many hilarious videos from it. These are the type of experiences I love. I really hope that we are able to see the telescope again.
Looking Back:
This was such an amazing trip and I was so incredibly lucky that I was on it. Even though it was a long car ride up there and back, every minute in the car was worth it.
When we first got there it took a while to get everyone a badge and we had to wait for our escort because we were actually early for once. Once the escort arrived we walked through the campus to another building in which we went to a large conference room. We spent about an hour listening to a presenter talk about different statistics about the telescope and various aspects that went into building it. After the presenter was finished we split into groups and went on tours of the company. We went to three places in Northrop Grumman; the museum, the building where the test sunshield is, and the machine shop. In the museum they have models of everything that the company has ever build. It varies from planes to drones to spacecrafts. It was amazing how much time they put into displaying their work and how many projects they work on. Going into the building where the test sunshield is was maybe a once in a lifetime experience. To go into the room we had to put on hair nets and smocks because they didn't want more contamination than there already is. Once I got inside the room it felt like I was in some sort of dream, it was so unreal to be that close to something so important. Aside from the occasional "wow", I was speechless. I couldn't believe that I was seeing a part of something that is going to add to, confirm, and maybe even change what we know about the universe. I can still see a clear image of the sunshield in my mind. The last place that my group visited was the machine shop where they made different parts of the telescope and parts for the other projects they work on. The best part of the machine shop was being able to see a part of the base of the telescope that is going into space. After our tour we went back to the conference room for lunch and a Q and A with an designer and engineer. All of the questions asked were very interesting but, I was hoping for a more detailed response from the person answering the questions. We had so many questions that we stayed longer than we were supposed to, which I predicted, and ended up having a longer car ride home.
Looking Beyond:
Like I said earlier this telescope is going to add to, confirm, and maybe even change what we know about the universe. The telescope will be able to see even farther than Hubble can. It can see farther because it is made for the infrared spectrum. The reason they need it to be infrared is because as the universe stretches the light gets stretched from the blue and all the way past red, which means it is stretched past the visible spectrum of light. The JWST is also made to read what other planets and starts are made of. The way they find what is on a planet is by looking at the chemical make up of the light that is shining on it from behind that goes around it. By having this technology we will be able to see if there are man made elements on other planets and stars, thus telling us if it capable to live on and if it inhabits intelligent life.
Takeaways:
This trip was so much fun. Even though we were there to see something amazing, I feel that it was also a bonding experience for each car. I had a great time in the car I was in because of the mash of personalities. The car ride back was a lot funnier than the ride there and I got many hilarious videos from it. These are the type of experiences I love. I really hope that we are able to see the telescope again.