Mirrors of Gold- The James Webb Telescope

Gold in space is a particular topic that fascinates the mind. The most precious metal on our planet also happens to be one of the most important in outside of it, and gold is prominent in man-made objects in space. The Cash 4 Gold blog has addressed The Golden Record, and The Hubble Telescope, twice chronicling the special role gold plays in outer space.

Today, we look at the James Webb Space Telescope, successor to the Hubble that contains golden observatory mirrors almost twice the size of a human being.

The James Webb Space telescope is planned for takeoff in 2018, and it features 18 hexagonal mirrors that will be used to help the telescope’s imaging processes. The 18 mirrors are covered in “a 6.5 meter diameter gold-coated beryllium reflector”. Like the Hubble Telescope before it, and other in-space instruments, Gold was the primary choice for the sensitive instruments because of the strength of the precious metal. Gold is considered the most malleable and ductile metal on earth, as well as highly resistant to acidic attacks. But just how special is Gold for it to be chosen year after year in space-based scientific endeavors?

This article on Physorg describes how powerful gold is in its use on the James Webb Telescope:

“During cryogenic testing, the mirrors are subjected to extreme temperatures dipping to -415 degrees Fahrenheit, which permits NASA contractor engineers to measure in extreme detail how the shape of the mirror changes as it cools -- just as each mirror will change shape over a range of operational temperatures in space.”

With the advancement of the James Webb Telescope, NASA is proving yet again that even in space…gold is king.

Photos and Sources: http://www.nasa.gov/centers/marshall/home/index.html

Gold in Space

Gold is used for an incredibly large amount of technology because of its useful makeup. With reflectivity, conductivity, and corrosion resistance as key material makeup’s involved in gold, companies like NASA have been using gold as a key element in their space programs for years. As a matter of fact, gold has become invaluable in many of NASA’s projects in space, including protecting space astronauts themselves from deadly space rays.

“Reflective gold-coated plastic film protects essential equipment from intense solar radiation and heat. Similarly, a layer of gold on the astronauts’ helmets defends against lethal doses of radiation when working in space.”

Even the Hubble Space Telescope(pictured above), which is responsible for many of our solar images and understanding, is coated in gold. The World Gold Council states: “Gold coatings protect the $1.5 billion Hubble telescope against corrosion and electrical connections.” The reflectivity of gold protects the Hubble and is part of the reason why the telescope has been in orbit safely for over twenty years.

http://www.gold.org/technology/uses/space/

The Golden Record

NASA has been a huge advocate in seeking life in the universe, and in 1977 they launched a program entitled Voyager (currently the farthest man-made object in space) that contained a record plated in gold holding information on human life, history, and the Earth.

The record’s are of gold plated copper and were chosen because of gold’s properties and belief that it would be the longest lasting metal to outlive the journey. In the photos above, you can see the gold covers of the records, along with the etchings of how to play the record, and the location of Earth in our solar system. The record also contains audio in the form of a vast musical selection of human history’s most famous musical compositions. The location of the Golden record is now out far past our solar system and has entered empty space awaiting its arrival to their nearest star or planet. With the launches of Voyager and the Golden Record, gold is now not only the most important metal on our planet, but also the farthest metal we have ever placed in the vast universe.