The James Webb Space Telescope is the largest astrophysics mission in NASA's history and is planned to launch on December 18th!  With a segmented mirror extending 6 meters across, and a sunshield the size of a tennis court, this mammoth observatory is folded up for launch, and will unfurl as it travels to its final orbit a million miles away.  Designed to see the first galaxies forming shortly after the Big Bang, it has been nicknamed the "First Light Machine." Its infrared sensitivity will allow it to peer into dusty environments, making it the perfect instrument to explore the regions where stars and planets form, and trace how galaxies have evolved over time. The James Webb Telescope's potential is so transformative for astronomy that three international space agencies – NASA, ESA and the Canadian Space Agency – have partnered together to bring it to launch.  Dr. Kathryn Flanagan, astronomer emerita at the Space Telescope Science Institute, will introduce us to this marvelous facility and the science it will return.

This program is part of the Science and Economics Series by George Burnell.

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