UT-Austin astronomers will have first crack at new NASA telescope

Photo: CHRIS GUNN

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This NASA photo released on May 16, 2017 shows the primary mirror of NASA's James Webb Space Telescope inside a cleanroom at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, where it will undergo its last cryogenic test before it is launched into space in 2018. (Photo by Chris Gunn/AFP/Getty Images) less

Photo: CHRIS GUNN

NASA engineers prepare to test the James Webb Space Telescope, a telescope with a primary mirror 6.25 times bigger than the Hubble Space Telescope's, in a cryogenic vacuum chamber at the Johnson Space Center Wednesday, May 31, 2017 in Houston. less

Photo: Michael Ciaglo, Houston Chronicle

University of Texas-Austin researchers will be among the first in the world to use NASA's brand new, $8.8 billion telescope after it launches in 2019.

The James Webb Space Telescope, the successor to the Hubble Space Telescope, has been under development for more than a decade. One hundred days of cryogenic testing -- to ensure the telescope functions as intended in an extreme cold and airless environment -- was completed this month at Johnson Space Center.

Also this month, NASA released the list of the first 13 projects that will test the telescope in space. UT-Austin's Steve Finkelstein found himself, and his Cosmic Evolution Early Release Science (CEERS) Survey, on that list..

"This will be the first time anyone has had access to this brand new telescope that is in some ways 100 times better than Hubble," said Finkelstein, an associate professor of astronomy at the university, said in the release. "This telescope will reveal enormous truths the moment we turn it on."

The CEERS will build upon Finkelstein's previous work with the Hubble telescope of examining the oldest galaxies in the universe as a way to understand how quickly stars formed into these galaxies and how they evolve overtime. More than 100 astronomers from 10 countries are involved in the project.

Finkelstein said in the release that Webb will allow astronomers to see galaxies as they existed 13.4 billion years ago. His project will take place in the telescope's first five months of science operations. The targeted launch of Webb is spring 2019 from Kourou, French Guiana and is expected to carry out its mission for 5 to 10 years.

Using Webb, "we will discover the most distant galaxies ever seen — galaxies that were literally invisible to Hubble," Finkelstein said.

Hubble launched 27 years ago and mainly observes visible light, while Webb will operate in the infrared, enabling it to study some of the faintest, youngest galaxies.

Other projects chosen include an examination of Jupiter and its moons and weighing supermassive black holes, according to NASA.

"We were impressed by the high quality of the proposals received," said Ken Sembach, director of the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore, Maryland, in a NASA news release. "These observing programs not only will generate great science, but also will be a unique resource for demonstrating the investigative capabilities of this extraordinary observatory to the worldwide scientific community."

But the telescope still has many steps before it can be launched into space. It now will be transported to Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems in Redondo Beach, California, where it will be "integrated" with the spacecraft, which make up the complete observatory. The entire observatory then will undergo more testing, the last exposure to a simulated launch environment before flight, according to NASA's website.

Alex Stuckey covers NASA, science and the environment for the Houston Chronicle. You can reach her at alex.stuckey@chron.com or http://ift.tt/1bNCYqd.

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