Boldly going where no space telescope has gone before: the James Webb

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) will go farther into space -- that “final frontier” -- and add to scientific knowledge in ways no previous space telescope has done before.

Even before the telescope's completion and launch, the process of developing its sensors and other technology is already having an impact in fields such as laser eye surgery and manufacturing.

Check out these new SPIE Newsroom videos to hear first-hand from NASA scientists Joe Howard and Lee Feinberg about JWST and how work on the telescope will, as Feinberg says, continue to “serve humanity for a long time.”

First, Joe Howard: "JWST blazes new trails in optical design."

And next, Lee Feinberg: "JWST technologies already bearing fruit."

Read more about the project on the NASA JWST website.

How many innovations do you use every day that began as space technologies?