Robert Smith is a professor at the University of Alberta and historian to JWST since 2002
As James Webb Space Telescope beams back images from the edge of space and time, space historian Robert Smith recalls some of the decisions made to bring the $10bn NASA project to fruition. David Stuart reports
Image credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI
Some of the faintest celestial objects ever observed in the infrared have been imaged
Matthew Dale speaks with ESA to learn about the opportunities arising for photonics in the space sector
An artist's conception of JWST in space. Credit: NASA
The JWST is an example of the culmination of years of work in technology development and research into advancing photonics technologies
NASA optical physicists are exploring the use of femtosecond lasers to join dissimilar materials in the manufacturing of spaceflight instruments.
Imaging spectroscopy offers a powerful way to understand this world and others, and optical innovations are enhancing its capabilities, finds Andy Extance
The laser ranging interferometer (LRI) instrument has been successfully switched on aboard the recently launched twin US/German Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-On (GRACE-FO) satellites
Nasa has recently tested an airborne lidar system that uses three simultaneous laser pulses to detect and measure two potent greenhouse gases: carbon dioxide and water vapour
Professor Paul Shore led the team that micromachined the complex mirrors within James Webb’s mid-infrared instrument. He chats about the technical lessons learnt
EMF invested a great deal of time and effort in developing a coating system for producing long-lasting diamond like carbon (DLC) coatings on chalcogenides at scale
The properties of chalcogenide glass optics have opened up a number of use cases in infrared optics applications and beyond. This article assesses how some of the associated manufacturing and handling challenges of this material can be overcome
Image credit: Yury Zap/Shutterstock.com
We detail the commercial offerings from some of the main players in optical mirrors
Image credit: Mia Stendal/Shutterstock.com
Shining a light on the latest products and solutions in the diode laser space
Optical technologies offer researchers a powerful new toolkit to explore the structure and function of the brain. (Image: Sergey Nivens/Shutterstock.com)
Advances in optical fibres and microscale LEDs are furthering neuroscientists’ understanding of the brain
The nulling interferometry devices under development at Caltech’s Exoplanet Technology Laboratory cancel out starlight to help detect and identify foreign worlds. (Credit: Shutterstock/Dotted Yeti)
Nemanja Jovanovic, lead instrument scientist at Caltech’s Optical Observatory and Exoplanet Technology Laboratory, on emerging astrophotonic technologies on his radar
Robert Smith is a professor at the University of Alberta and historian to JWST since 2002
As James Webb Space Telescope beams back images from the edge of space and time, space historian Robert Smith recalls some of the decisions made to bring the $10bn NASA project to fruition. David Stuart reports
