SENIOR SPACEFLIGHT OPTICAL ENGINEER SPEAKS AT OBSERVATORY

On May 11, 2016 with great pleasure, John Mangus was introduced as our guest speaker at 8:00 pm. Mr. Mangus, a senior spaceflight optical engineer, has been assigned to the Hubble Space telescope review board for servicing missions 2, 3a, 3b and 4; the James Webb Space Telescope standing review board which reported directly to the NASA Administrator; the Spitzer review team: chair the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) Optical Review Team and the Ice, Cloud, and Land Elevation Satellite (ICESAT) review team. Mr. Mangus established the Optics Branch at NASA’S Goddard Space Flight Center and is now retired, but continues work as a consultant. He is currently a member of the Optical Product Improvement Team which reviews the development of the James Webb Space Telescope, a vastly complex telescope designed to function at a temperature near absolute zero degrees. In summary, Mr. Mangus’ presentation focused on the complexity of the Webb telescope which has been engineered to peer into space in the infrared region of the spectrum. The Webb telescope is expected to be launched in October 2018 aboard an Arian V rocket from French New Guinea and be placed in orbit at a Lagrange point one million miles from Earth. The observatory is making an effort to acquire monthly educational speakers to inform educate and inspire the general public and support teaching in the sciences of astronomy and physics.