When NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope needs to move, it must be carefully packed inside a specially designed container called the Space Telescope Transporter for Air, Road, and Sea (STTARS). As the name implies, the container protects Webb during its journeys on ground, above ground, and over water. The massive container weighs approximately 165,000 pounds (almost 75,000 kilograms) and dwarfs Webb in terms of mass — the telescope weighs approximately 14,000 pounds (6,350 kilograms) here on Earth. All of that bulk is needed to keep Webb’s individual parts, and eventually the fully assembled telescope, safe during the journey to the launch pad.
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NASA ID
STTARS_Feature
Date Created
March 14, 2019
Center
GSFC
Media Type
video
Photographer
Michael McClare, Sophia Roberts, Michael Menzel
Location
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
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