A tightly bound and actively forming pair of stars known as Herbig-Haro 46/47 has been imaged in high-resolution near-infrared light by NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, launched in December 2021. The telescope's stunning images of previously unseen corners of the universe were made possible by the telescope's 21-metre segmented mirror, which had to unfold and assemble itself in space after launch. Numerous tests on materials, design and process were conducted over decades to develop the largest telescope in space, but the entire project was too large to be tested on the ground at minus 400ºF and other space-like conditions.

Instead, engineers relied more than ever on software to simulate how the telescope would behave under wide-ranging space conditions, and this work helped advance the entire field of integrated modelling.

Meanwhile, designers of more earthly technologies are already seeing the benefits of an advanced modelling software used to design precision endoscopes, a thermal camera to detect COVID-19 exposures in crowds, augmented reality displays and headsets, a laser propulsion technology for nanosatellites, and of course more telescopes.

This is one of many spinoffs or NASA technologies that benefit life on Earth in the form of commercial products. We have profiled more than 2.000 by-products since 1976 - there is more room in your life than you think!

Image description:

In the centre is a thin horizontal orange cloud tilted from bottom left to top right. It occupies about two-thirds of the length of this angle, but is thin at the reverse angle. In the centre are a series of very large red and pink diffraction spikes in Webb's familiar eight-pointed pattern. In the centre is a yellow-white blotch that hides two tightly orbiting stars. The background is full of stars and galaxies.