Humanity's Greatest Engineering Feat?

Adam Savage visits Smithsonian's @airandspace for a first look at an extraordinary new addition to the collection: the Pathfinder for the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST)! Space history curator Samantha Thompson walks Adam through this full-scale engineering model, which was essential to proving out the telescope's multi-stage origami unfolding, extreme temperature tolerances, and precision optics before the real JWST launched a million miles into deep space. Adam inspects the massive backplane structure, the secondary mirror assembly, and two real beryllium hexagonal mirrors — one uncoated and one coated in microscopically thin gold — to explore the engineering marvels that paved the way for one of humanity's greatest engineering achievements! National Air and Space Museum: https://airandspace.si.edu/ Visit the National Air and Space Museum's Udvar Hazy Center: https://www.si.edu/museums/air-and-space-museum-udvar-hazy-center Visit the National Air and Space Museum's downtown museum: https://airandspace.si.edu/ Smithsonian Institution: https://www.si.edu/ James Webb Space Telescope’s Pathfinder and Parker Solar Probe: https://airandspace.si.edu/newsroom/press-releases/national-air-and-space-museum-welcomes-james-webb-space-telescopes Preserving WWII’s Most Battle-Damaged Bomber: https://youtu.be/9BNKu8WBO8M The Reason This Space Docking Module Was Androgynous: https://youtu.be/9VcVtuutdpE Adam Savage Visits National Air and Space Museum's Restoration Hangar: https://youtu.be/WFSnf0MSAFc More videos from Smithsonian's Air and Space Museum: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5c0BsBCx4Sw&list=PLJtitKU0CAeiJ7tjkIqcrRPfIYZHPW643 Subscribe for more videos (and click the bell for notifications): http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=testedcom Join this channel to support Tested and get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiDJtJKMICpb9B1qf7qjEOA/join Tested and Adam Savage Ts, stickers, (de) merit badges and more: https://adamsavage.com/ About Tested: https://www.tested.com/about Meet Adam in Person: https://www.tested.com/events Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/testedcom/ Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/testedcom TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@testedcom Amazon Storefront: http://www.amazon.com/shop/adamsavagestested Audio Described and Accessible Videos: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJtitKU0CAeiQLgj4PZ9onSW6YXIz5ADR Chapters: 00:00 - JWST Pathfinder? 01:40 - Space vs. Rocket Abuse 02:35 - Budget, Risk, & Engineering Perfection 03:08 - Origami Telescope 04:00 - Gravity vs. Zero-G 04:42 - Anatomy 05:08 - Beryllium Mirrors 05:40 - Flattest Surfaces Ever Made 06:20 - Deployable Secondary Mirror Assembly 07:10 - Best-Traveled Ground Telescope 08:04 - Golden & Silver Reflections 08:44 - Securing the Pathfinder 09:20 - Bunny Suits Intro bumper by Abe Dieckman Thanks for watching!