OTTAWA, OH (WLIO) - An engineer who played a role in the construction of NASA's largest and most powerful telescope was in Ottawa Wednesday.
Robert Verb, a retired army officer and engineer who worked on the mirrors of the James Webb Telescope, was at the Ottawa branch of the Putnam County District Library to talk about what it took to create it. Launched back in 2021, it was built with the collaboration of a large number of companies across the country, including several in Ohio. Nelson Manufacturing in Ottawa had helped transport the mirror blanks.
Verb also brought along several pieces and mineral samples to help explain what makes the telescope so much more efficient than others in space.
"What took Hubble weeks to get deep space pictures, Webb did it in several hours. It gathers that much more light, so it's extremely important. And it's already shown things scientists really can't imagine or didn't imagine," he elaborated.
Ball, a company that was involved in building the mirrors, is also known for their canning jars.
