Inside the Star Factory

A fascinating, ground-level backstage pass to the creation, launch, and reach of the James Webb Space Telescope. NASAs James Webb Space Telescope, the worlds largest orbiting astronomy observatory, is now nearly a million miles from Earth, probing the first stars and galaxies, documenting the structure and evolution of the universe, and searching for signs of life in other solar systems. In a series of extraordinary photographs, Inside the Star Factory tells the story of the Webb Telescope from conception to launcha marvel of ingenuity and engineering that entailed more than 100 million people hours over a span of thirty years. The projects lead photographer Chris Gunn was there from the start, documenting the Webbs tumultuous historythe behind-the-scenes details of its construction, from the cutting-edge technology required for an observatory operating at temperatures as low as 370F, beyond reach for repair, to the human story of an engineering team pursuing an unprecedented goal under incomparable pressure. Derided as the telescope that ate astronomy, billions of dollars over budget, ten years over schedule, nearly canceled twice, Webb was simply too big to fail. Accompanied by science writer Christopher Wanjeks overview of the Webbs history and profiles of the scientists and engineers who built it, this exclusive illustrated guide shows readers the heady world of scientific discovery at the very limits of human knowledgeand the very beginning of space and time.