Wonderology No Dark Sky
Oct 15, 2025
Scott Acton, an engineer behind the James Webb Space Telescope, and Mike Menzel, mission systems engineer since 1998, share their remarkable journey. They delve into the intricacies of aligning segmented mirrors with nanoscale precision and the emotional stakes involved in the project's success. The conversation touches on unexpected discoveries of ancient galaxies and water ice around newborn stars, raising profound questions about humanity's place in this vast universe. Ultimately, they reflect on how exploration enriches our existence despite its overwhelming scale.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Dream Deferred, Then Restarted
- Scott Acton gave up his childhood dream of biking around the world after his wife Heidi was injured and couldn't continue.
- He later restarted the journey in 2016 to share the Webb telescope story with people he met on the road.
Unfolding A Telescope In Space
- Webb required aligning 18 mirror segments to within a few nanometers — levels never before done in space.
- Engineers designed unfolding and alignment systems that effectively rebuilt the telescope in orbit.
Eighteen Copies Of Every Star
- Early post-launch tests showed mirrors were misaligned by 30–40 times predicted values, creating 18 copies of each star.
- The team had to diagnose and resolve this unexpected behavior under intense pressure.