Bill Ochs

Speaker during the NASA/Space Fireside Chat and 2025 IEEE Simon Ramo Medal Co-Recipient

Bill Ochs, Mike Menzel, and Scott Willoughby led the development of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), the world’s most complex astronomical observatory ever launched into space. They were instrumental in weathering the myriad challenges that must be faced when attempting such an audacious scientific and engineering feat. These challenges were technical, programmatic, and organizational in nature. In short, this accomplishment exemplified the very best in systems science and engineering—and had a tremendous impact on several sciences and engineering disciplines. JWST stands on the shoulders of giants in that what may have initially seemed impossible was considered possible if led correctly. Ochs, Menzel, and Willoughby were able to bring historical successes into motivating their team and helping solve the problems in the 21st century with an eye for thinking far beyond. JWST is the first space telescope to fully embrace the use of active wavefront sensing and control implemented with cryogenic sensors, actuators, and drive and sensing electronics operating from forty down to seven degrees Kelvin. It proves that for the near to mid infrared, where much is unknown about our universe, telescope electronics and controls engineers need no longer “fear the cold.” Any one of these engineering challenges was typical, but having so many simultaneously was extremely unique: cost and schedule overrun pressures, workforce stability over 25 years, a major hurricane during testing, government shutdowns, integration and test failures, critical propulsion leaks, and COVID-19. The mantra of “test like you fly, fly like you test” is fundamental to the aerospace field. Unfortunately, it could not be followed to verify JWST’s on-orbit performance. The observatory had to be tested in parts to prove analytical models of these parts were correct, and then these models were integrated into an observatory model that was used to prove the observatory would work in its flight environment.  The telescope and instruments were tested at the Johnson Space Center, and the sunshield and spacecraft were tested at the Northrop Grumman Space Park Facility.  During the tests at Johnson Space Center, the telescope was suspended from the ceiling of the thermal-vacuum chamber by cables with a surrounding layered liquid nitrogen and helium wall. High-power, vibrating compressors next door recycled the helium. The soft vibration isolators for the telescope were mechanically “shorted” to prevent overstress in Earth’s gravity. Thus, the team could not “test as you fly.” So, they invented a new test / verification methodology to prove that their 1-g models could predict 1-g test performance. Few endeavors have the potential to dramatically change their field. JWST is one of those endeavors. The investment was high, and the effort was exhausting, but Bill Ochs, Mike Menzel, and Scott Willoughby were able to make JWST a reality.

Ochs is the Principal Scientist/Engineer, The Aerospace Corporation, El Segundo, California, USA.

Menzel is the James Webb Space Telescope Mission Systems Engineer, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, USA.

Willoughby is Vice President and Project Manager, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, USA.