Telescopes Branch Mission Statement

The Telescopes Group houses a wide range of expertise in the HST & JWST observatories, possessing knowledge of the instruments, optical systems, spacecraft engineering, pointing control systems, and scientific objectives. It focuses on observatory-wide topics and common themes across instruments and missions.

Observatory-wide tasks include trending of the HST focus, JWST & HST PSF studies, calibration of both telescopes' fields-of-view, and pointing & astrometric considerations. Common-theme instrument tasks include developing and maintaining focal plane models and aperture definitions, carrying out cross-instrument calibrations, supporting the development of new instruments, maintaining and monitoring existing instruments in an engineering capacity, and supporting Servicing Mission 4. The Telescopes Group supports the Pointing Control System and the Fine Guidance Sensors for both JWST & HST, and is home to the STScI's JWST Wavefront Sensing & Control team.

Beyond the immediate work on current projects, the Telescopes Group has the mission of fostering the exchange of scientific and technical know-how and of personnel resources among the Institute's missions, including HST, JWST, and when appropriate, the Community Missions.