“The UK’s Role in the James Webb Space Telescope”
by Dr Caroline Harper.
Head of Space Science, UK Space Agency.
Thursday 28th July at 8:00 pm UK.
Synopsis: NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope launched on Christmas Day 2021 and has now reached operational orbit at the second Lagrange Point, roughly 1.5M km from Earth. During commissioning of the science instruments Webb has already exceeded expectations in terms of performance, promising great things from the first science data release on 12 July. Webb is optimised to observe in the infrared and is set to transform our understanding of the Universe, building on and complementing the work of the Hubble Space Telescope. It will be able to capture the faint light from the first stars in the Universe, effectively looking back in time to soon after the Big Bang. It will also allow us to peer inside the dense dust clouds surrounding newly forming stars and galaxies. The UK is playing a major role in this space observatory for the next decade, and UK investment in the mission places our researchers at the forefront of the exciting new discoveries that will be made. This talk will describe how the UK led the European Consortium which designed, built and tested the Mid InfraRed Instrument (MIRI) for Webb, in collaboration with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and what the future may hold for the UK research community working on data from this fascinating mission.
The Speaker Caroline joined the UK Space Agency at its creation in 2011, transferring into the new organisation from the Science & Technology Facilities Research Council. She became Head of the Agency’s Space Science Programme in April 2020. This Programme provides support for the design, development and operation of innovative scientific instrument payloads and data processing capabilities for European Space Agency missions. Caroline’s role includes working with the space R&D community in academia and industry to develop the sector through strong, focused participation in missions with ESA and with other national space agencies.
She has also been responsible for the Agency’s first national cubesat programme, launched successfully in July 2014, and for managing some of the Agency’s International Partnership Programme (IPP) overseas development aid projects. She is the UK delegate on a number of international steering groups, including ESA’s Science Programme Committee.
Caroline is a qualified Mental Health First Aider and staff well-being champion, offering support and mentoring to colleagues as part of the Agency’s staff well-being initiative. programme, launched successfully in July 2014, and for managing some of the Agency’s International Partnership Programme (IPP) overseas development aid projects. She is the UK delegate on a number of international steering groups, including ESA’s Science Programme Committee.
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