NASA's Next Big Space Telescope Passes Brain Test

Engineers have successfully tested the mirror-controlling "brain" of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), which is expected to rival imagery taken by the Hubble Space Telescope.

The software, known as Wavefront Sensing and Control (WFSC), will allow the Webb telescope to adjust its 18 hexagonal mirrors.

"It's critical that all 18 mirror segments be aligned in position so that they act as one smooth surface," said Bill Hayden, a systems engineer at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) in Greenbelt, Md. "This will allow scientists to clearly focus on very dim objects that we can't see now."

JWST is slated for launch in 2013.

http://www.space.com/businesstechnol...b_mirrors.html