SOLON, Ohio — Alex Greenspan, Research and Development Director with Braze Solutions LLC in Solon, told News 5 he's been involved with high-tech projects all of his life. So Greenspan said he was honored when NASA approached his company to help with key components for the James Webb Telescope back in 2014.
Greenspan's company used high-frequency induction brazing to craft the crucial cooling lines for the telescope, which was launched into space on Christmas day. Greenspan said his company has also produced components that have made their way to the surface of Mars and hope the James Webb Telescope will inspire future scientists and aerospace engineers.
“The word braze means joining metals together," Greenspan said. “From childhood, I was into technical stuff.”
“We’ve been approached by NASA many times, from the Cleveland Division and all around the country. This telescope is the only element in the universe made by man which can see through the galaxy. We will probably discover other planets and we will find out pretty soon where we came from."
“When it comes to being involved in science and engineering, the young generation has to understand, education is the most important part.”
Cleveland State University Research Astronomer Jay Reynolds told News 5 the cooling components created by Braze Solutions are directly related to the ability of the telescope to make new discoveries.
“Without that refrigeration unit the images we’re trying to detect in this first phase of its flight would not be possible," Reynolds said. “The colder the sensor is the longer they can expose the image and the greater the quality of the image will be. So this is a critical factor, and we have Northeast Ohio to thank for it.”
Reynolds told News 5 the telescope sun shield and the main mirror will deploy within the next 25 days, with the telescope in position for its halo orbit a million miles away from Earth by the end of Jan. 2022.
Reynolds said those interested in tracking the James Webb Telescope can get thelatest information on the NASA dashboard.
"The James Webb telescopes is going to a balance point between the Sun and the Earth, where it will be relatively very stationary," Reynolds said. “The James Webb telescope is going to change the way we look at the universe. It will change our understanding of the universe; it will change our understanding of other planets beyond our solar system.”
