The James Webb Space Telescope is the largest and most powerful space observatory ever built. After a successful launch on Christmas Day 2021, Webb is helping scientists look more than 13 billion years back in time, and answer questions like: Where do we come from? Are we alone? Webb took 20 years, thousands of technicians, scientists, and engineers, and 40 million hours to build. One of those engineers is Lehigh alum Scott Willoughby ’89, vice president and program manager of the James Webb Space Telescope Program at Northrop Grumman. In this episode, he explains how engineers solved one seemingly impossible problem after another to build a telescope capable of seeing the first stars, studying distant planets and transforming our understanding of the universe. He also reveals how we’re already benefiting from Webb’s development, right here on Earth.

Guest bio:

Scott Willoughby, '89, is vice president and program manager for the James Webb Space Telescope Program at Northrop Grumman, NASA's primary industrial partner for the mission. A graduate of Lehigh University's electrical engineering program, Scott has spent more than three decades developing complex space systems and led one of the largest and most ambitious engineering programs in modern history. Under his leadership, the James Webb Space Telescope successfully launched, deployed and began a mission that is transforming our understanding of the universe.

Rossin Connection is hosted and produced by Christine Fennessy, with support from the Dean's office at the P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science.

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