This here is a full-size model of the James Webb Space Telescope. It’s been sitting on the National Mall this past week, with NASA/Goddard/Northrop personnel hovering about it, answering questions about the project and science involved:

The JWST is NASA’s next-generation deep space orbital imaging platform after Hubble, Chandra, and Spitzer. Named for the second Chief High Pan-Galactic Overlord of NASA (no relation), the JWST is scheduled to launch in 2013 and position itself at L2, from where its massive mirror and infrared-optimized optics will peer through millions and billions of light years, through space dust and red shift, perhaps to the beginning of time itself, possibly unlocking the secret answer to life, the universe and everything.

Oh, and if you haven’t seen it yet, well, you missed it. Today was the last day. Nothing else till 2013. Sorry. Oh, don’t cry. Here are more photos I took of the JWST, just for you:

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Paulo Ordoveza

Roving Asian mendicant, can occasionally be seen wandering the streets of downtown Washington, muttering unintelligible gibberish to passers-by while pushing a “bag lady” shopping cart full of old blankets, American flags, soda cans, and healthy secondhand snacks from organic food shop dumpsters. Used to live in a cardboard box at 16th and K but the rent was too expensive.