Scientist Brings Outer Space to Monmouth County Library Headquarters

Groundbreaking science has allowed NASA to better understand our surrounding planets and solar systems through the eyes of a new telescope. Dr. Mark Clampin, observatory project scientist for the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) at the Goddard Space Flight Center of NASA, presented a seminar titled “Oberserving Exoplanets” at the  on Thursday, Aug. 4. Clampin discussed the JWST that NASA has been working on and what it will do to advance the field of astronomy.

“You’ll see tonight that the James Webb Space Telescope is making lots of impressive technical progress and we are looking forward to have the opportunity to launch this mission,” said Clampin.

The James Webb Space Telescope is the successor to the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and it uses infrared technology to allow the most distant of galaxies to be visible. When it is launched, around 2018, it will be about a million miles from earth. It is larger than the HST so it can collect more light and allows the atmosphere of the exoplanets, planets outside our solar system, to be studied. This will allow science 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, compared to the HST that has a 45 minute delay while it rotates to the bright side of earth (it takes the HST 90 minutes to travel around earth), according to Clampin.

“It allows us to do the same broad swath of science that the Hubble Telescope does that appeals to lots of different fields,” Clampin explained. “But it really gives us a major new gain in capability compared to what we have done with the Hubble in a new wave length.”

People always ask if there is life on other planets and studying exoplanets is one of the first steps, Clampin said. First, he explained, we need to see if the exoplanet is similar to our solar system and then if there are conditions suitable for life.

The first exoplanet was discovered in 1996 and now there over 550 and the number goes up almost daily, with another 1,200 that still need to be confirmed.

Work on the program was started around 2001. Last year, it passed critical design and building real hardware has begun, Clampin said. In a few years ground testing will start to assure that is working properly.

Clampin has been with NASA since 2003 and before that worked at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Maryland. He was a member of the team that helped install one of the larger cameras on the HST.

His role is to make sure all engineering requirements are met by interacting with the engineers to find solutions to meet the needed science goals and communicates with the public.

Clampin currently travels the country about four times a month explaining the growing progress with NASA.

The most rewarding part of his job is being able to work on the leading edge of technology and discovery, while the most difficult is keeping continued communication with everyone, he said.

“The field of exoplanets is an exciting field that is growing rapidly and changing with new techniques,” said Clampin. “The James Webb Space Telescope is uniquely positioned to take advantage of all these new techniques and advance the understanding of these new systems we are discovering.”

The event was co-sponsored with the Aerospace and Electronics Systems (AES) Group, affiliated with the AES Society (AESS) of the IEEE and the Monmouth County Library.

For more information, please visit this Web site for upcoming seminars and register here.