The Math Behind NASA’s Webb Space Telescope
Featuring Mike Menzel, retired NASA Mission Systems Engineer
Saturday, July 11
6:30 pm to 8:00 pm
(in person)
How does the James Webb Space Telescope use mathematics to reveal places and moments no human eye could ever see? Join Mike Menzel, retired NASA Mission Systems Engineer for Webb, for a behind-the-scenes look at the mathematical ideas that make this extraordinary observatory work. Webb observes light that has traveled across vast distances for billions of years, allowing astronomers to study galaxies, stars, and planets as they appeared in the distant past. Making that possible requires remarkable precision: the geometry of an 18-segment mirror, the alignment of delicate instruments, the measurement of infrared light, and the modeling of distance, motion, temperature, and stability. Discover how mathematics helps Webb gather faint signals from deep space and turn them into astonishing images and new discoveries.
About the presenter
Mike Menzel is the NASA Mission Systems Engineer for the James Webb Space Telescope at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. He has been involved with Webb since its earliest planning stages, beginning in 1998 with studies for what was then called the Next Generation Space Telescope. As Mission Systems Engineer, Menzel has overseen key systems engineering efforts including requirements, design, integration, validation, and verification. Earlier in his career, he worked on the Hubble Space Telescope servicing missions and held engineering roles at Lockheed Martin, Orbital Sciences, and RCA Astro. He holds degrees from MIT and Columbia University and is also an avid amateur astronomer.
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New York, 10011
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