NASA's Webb Telescope Completes Mirror-Coating Milestone NASA’s
James Webb Space Telescope has reached a major milestone in its
development. The mirrors that will fly aboard the telescope have
completed the coating process at Quantum Coating Inc. in
Moorestown, N.J. The telescope's mirrors have been coated with a
microscopically thin layer of gold, selected for its ability to
properly reflect infrared light from the mirrors into the
observatory’s science instruments. The coating allows the Webb
telescope's "infrared eyes" to observe extremely faint objects
in infrared light. Webb’s mission is to observe the most distant
objects in the universe. "Finishing all mirror coatings on
schedule is another major success story for the Webb telescope
mirrors," said Lee Feinberg, NASA Optical Telescope Element
manager for the Webb telescope at the agency’s Goddard Space
Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. "These coatings easily meet
their specifications, ensuring even more scientific discovery
potential for the Webb telescop