James Webb Telescope Issue - 5

Guest Editor
Letter from Guest Editor
Dr. Sean Bentley, Gamma Theta, Associate Professor of Physics at Adelphi University
This issue of THE BRIDGE arrives almost precisely 65
years after the launch of Sputnik 1. Today we are seeing
some of the most detailed images of the universe
(including the one on the cover and the one here),
thanks to the James Webb Space Telescope.
The " Cosmic Cliffs " region of the Carina Nebula, over 7,500 light-years
from Earth, was imaged by the Near-Infrared Camera on NASA's James
Webb Space Telescope, revealing much more detail than previous
images of the region. Image credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI.
In the decades between then and now, significant
advancements have been made in space exploration,
driving innovations in engineering. Humans have walked
on the moon and sent probes throughout the solar
system and beyond, with Voyager 1 and 2 entering
interstellar space a few years ago. Multiple rovers have
explored Mars, including flying the first robotic helicopter
on that planet last year. The Earth is orbited by thousands
of satellites providing everything from GPS signals to
weather and climate data to communication links. The
International Space Station has been in orbit for over
two decades, with one astronaut spending a record 355
days in orbit. Powerful space-based telescopes greatly
expand our understanding of the universe with ongoing
discoveries. Private spacecraft are becoming common,
aiding exploration while also creating space tourism
and allowing actor William Shatner ( " Star Trek's " original
Captain Kirk) to become the oldest human in space, rising
to nearly 70 miles above the Earth. These advancements
continue to grow, with the goal of many to send humans
to Mars in the next decade.
With the high cost of space programs and the many
problems to be addressed on Earth, the value of funding
these programs is often questioned. From a purely
scientific standpoint, much of what we know about the
universe, and science itself, has been learned through
the data from satellites, probes, and telescopes. While
some may debate the value of fundamental knowledge,
discovery remains a driving force for our species that
helps define us. From a technological standpoint, a wealth
of engineering advancements, from portable electronics
to artificial limbs, was brought about through space
programs. Many strong arguments have been made that
these advancements would likely not have happened
for many more years or even decades if not driven
by particular requirements of a space-based mission.
Perhaps most importantly, space has long inspired
students to pursue STEM-related majors in college
(one 2009 survey looked directly at the impact of the
Apollo program on career choices of those who became
scientists*). I, for one, was strongly influenced by the
Space Shuttle program and originally planned to pursue a
career with NASA before being drawn to a life in teaching.
In this issue, we will see three key engineering
advancements for space-based technology. One looks at
the Webb telescope itself, with the development of an
event-driven operations architecture to maximize the use
of the telescope over its lifetime. This advancement could
benefit many other telescopes and probes. Another article
describes designing a Lunar Environment Monitoring
Station with the need for very low power consumption,
overcoming a fundamental problem for many spacebased
missions. We also have an interview with IEEEHKN
Eminent Member Dr. Asad M. Madni, discussing his
work in developing an extremely slow-motion, dual-axis
servo control system for the Hubble Space Telescope
that has been crucial in the over three decades of data
and images collected by Hubble. These three examples
highlight the impact engineers have had and continue to
have on space exploration. Engineers genuinely lead the
way into the final frontier.
Sean J. Bentley earned his BSEE (1995)
and MSEE (1997) from the University of
Missouri-Rolla (now Missouri University
of Science and Technology) and his Ph.D.
in optics (2004) from the University of
Rochester. He is an associate professor
of physics at Adelphi University, where
he was awarded the Teaching Excellence
Award for 2012-13. He received the 2022
David Halliday and Robert Resnick Award
for Excellence in Undergraduate Physics Teaching from the
American Association of Physics Teachers. From 2014-2016, he
served as director of the Society of Physics Students and Sigma
Pi Sigma (the physics honor society) at the American Institute
of Physics. He served as the IEEE-HKN Region 1-2 Governor
for 2018-19 and has been a member of THE BRIDGE Editorial
Board since 2021. He is a Senior Member of the IEEE.
*http://www.nature.com/news/2009/090715/full/460314a.html
HKN.ORG
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http://www.nature.com/news/2009/090715/full/460314a.html https://hkn.ieee.org/
James Webb Telescope Issue

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of James Webb Telescope Issue
