Artifacts From NASA’s Webb, Parker Solar Probe on View at Smithsonian

A testing replica of the "backbone" of NASA's James Webb Space Telescope and a full-scale model of the agency's Parker Solar Probe are now on permanent display at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia.

"From touching the Sun with Parker Solar Probe to creating humanity's most powerful window into the cosmos with the James Webb Space Telescope, these missions show what humanity can achieve as we continue to push the boundaries of human knowledge through visionary science," said Nicky Fox, associate administrator, Science Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters in Washington. "It's not just the iconic hardware from these NASA missions on display — it's the courage, skill, and ingenuity of the scientists, engineers, and teams who dared to turn the nearly impossible into reality.

Webb's Optical Telescope Element Pathfinder is the largest intact mirror support structure of its kind, standing over 21 feet tall, with a secondary mirror that when fully deployed reaches more than 26 feet. This pathfinder was constructed as a high-fidelity telescope nearly identical to Webb, the largest and most powerful space telescope ever built. Webb's science goals required an exceptionally precise mirror, too large to fit fully deployed in any available rocket.