First six mirrors polished...

for the next generation James Webb Space Telescope that is expected to launch in 2014 (click to enlarge). There are another 12 mirror segments to finish in the foldable optical array. Here's the NASA press release regarding the achievement.

Let's hope the contractors do a better job than Perkin-Elmer did with the flawed primary mirror for the Hubble Space Telescope.

What's next after Hubble?

Why the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), of course. It is now under construction and is slated to launch in 2014.

Beryllium mirrors. Interesting.

355 extra-solar planets...

have been discovered since 1993. That is, planets outside our solar system that are orbiting other stars.

The next-generation James Webb Space Telescope - the replacement for the aging Hubble Space Telescope - is scheduled for launch in 2013 and will have the ability to image these objects and perform spectroscopic studies of their atmospheres.

What a great time for science.