Webb telescope model to head to Germany

The U.S. space agency says it plans to display a full-sized model of the James Webb Space Telescope at the Deutsches Museum in Munich, Germany.

The actual James Webb Space Telescope, now being built, is to be launched in 2013. The life-sized model was built by the Northrop Grumman Corp. to give people a better understanding of its size, scale and complexity.

NASA said the German museum has an extensive telescope collection, including the Fraunhofer Refractor, which was used to discover Neptune.

The model is to be displayed at the museum Oct. 13-28, in conjunction with a nearby meeting of Webb telescope scientists and engineers. NASA said the display will allow people working on the project to see the life-sized model.

The space agency said the model was designed for an environment subject to gravity and weather. It weighs 12,000 lbs. and is approximately 80 feet long, 40 feet wide and 40 feet tall. It requires 2 trucks to ship it and assembly takes a crew of 12 approximately four days.

The James Webb Space Telescope is a joint project of NASA and the European and Canadian space agencies.