---
title: "NASA Workers Took an Epic Selfie in Reflection of James Webb’s Giant Gold Mirrors"
description: "Long before sending off NASA's James Webb Space Telescope on its long journey into deep space last month, engineers took the opportunity to take an epic group selfie."
date: "2022-01-04"
modified: "2022-04-14"
authors:
  - name: "Victor Tangermann"
    job_title: "Senior Editor"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/nasa-selfie-james-webb-mirrors"
categories:
  - "James Webb Space Telescope"
  - "NASA"
  - "Space"
tags:
  - "james webb space telescope"
  - "NASA"
  - "the digest"
---

# NASA Workers Took an Epic Selfie in Reflection of James Webb’s Giant Gold Mirrors

![Long before sending off NASA's James Webb Space Telescope on its long journey into deep space last month, engineers took the opportunity to take an epic group selfie.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/nasa-selfie-james-webb-mirrors.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: \<a href="https://t.co/dGQ2WS5k12" target="\_blank"\>Desiree Stover/NASA\</a\>\</em\>*

## Epic Selfie

Long before sending off NASA's James Webb Space Telescope on its long journey into deep space last month, engineers took the opportunity to take an epic group selfie back in 2017 — using their reflection in the telescope's 21-foot mirror.

It's an awe-inspiring look at the sheer scale of the operation that [went viral on Reddit](<https://www.reddit.com/r/interestingasfuck/comments/ru55ds/nasa_workers_making_the_selfie_with_james_webb/>) after the launch, not to mention a fitting homage to the thousands of scientists who made last week's launch happen.

https://twitter.com/jeremyjojola/status/1477675080083599360

## The Great Unfurling

The [massive structure took off](<https://futurism.com/james-webb-memes>) on top of an Ariane 5 rocket from a spaceport in French Guiana on December 25, the culmination of tens of billions of dollars spent and decades of research and development.

Fortunately, everything is still going according plan — which [is significant](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/anxious-space-telescope>), given the hundreds of maneuvers the telescope has to complete to fully unfurl itself before becoming operational in a distant orbit around the Sun.

"Everything is hunky-dory and doing well now," Amy Lo, a lead engineer for the telescope’s prime contractor, Northrop Grumman, during a Monday press conference, as [quoted by the *Associated Press*](<https://www.latimes.com/science/story/2022-01-04/nasas-james-webb-space-telescope-is-hunky-dory-after-problems-fixed>).

## Big Stretch

Over the weekend, the telescope [successfully extended its sunshield](<https://futurism.com/james-webb-telescope-sunshield>), a protective cover designed to keep its scientific instruments safe and protected from harmful solar rays.

Chances are we won't be hearing much from the JWST team over the next coming days — and that's a good thing.

"The best thing for operations is boring, and that’s what we anticipate over the next three days, is to be boring," project manager Bill Ochs said during the conference.

**READ MORE:** [NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope is ‘hunky-dory’ after problems fixed](<https://www.latimes.com/science/story/2022-01-04/nasas-james-webb-space-telescope-is-hunky-dory-after-problems-fixed>) \[*LA Times*\]

**More on the telescope:** *[The James Webb Space Telescope Is Officially Unfurling Its Mighty Sunshield](<https://futurism.com/james-webb-telescope-sunshield>)*

## Author
I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/vtanger.bsky.social>)