Confirmed: James Webb Space Telescope team plans launch for this Xmas Eve after data cable fix The launch of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has been confirmed for December 24* after engineers investigated and fixed up a communications problem on board the booster and spacecraft combo. During a briefing on Thursday, ESA and NASA representatives – including the US space agency's Science Mission Directorate …
A crimble eve launch would be (likely) over subscribed on the connected watchers count almost as badly as FFXIV is these days.
With my mom in hospital at the moment, such news would certainly perk her up, and she might even decide to get some sort of connection on which to watch said launch. (No, not covid, and likely something cardiac related but we aren't sure yet).
I should think that, with all the testing and checking and re-testing that has been done, there will be no problem with the mirror.
And if there is, well we can all write one telescope off the charts because there will be no servicing this bird.
Unlike software companies these days, this one has to go out the gate 100% functional. There will be no patches to the hardware.
Fingers crossed !
(and legs, and toes)
Having listened to a description of the mirror: so huge it has to go up folded into segments, then unfurl it self in space, I can understand why very extensive testing was necessary. It seems the sunshade is just as complex, it's apparently tennis court sized when it's deployed! No way to imagine that's going to be a simple bit of engineering.
I did say it would be sad as well. The humour would be the horrified and fascinated sort you get when you see a horrible accident unfolding without anyone actually getting hurt. Basically every "Fail compilation" video on YouTube.
It's fourteen years late, twenty times over budget and built by people who, it seems, can't wire a test cable up correctly. I am sure it will be fine.
The way some articles read around JWST one would almost think the £ cost associated with this unmanned launch is a more terrifying than the prospect of sitting 4 humans atop a firework.
In the worst case, given that the design is now established; how much of a delay would producing a new satellite to the same specifications entail?
A lot of the £ cost tied up in JWST is simply a function of employing people for so long, not necessarily in actual capex on equipment...
From what I read elsewhere, about 10-20 years. The time it's taken to launch is partly because they have to assemble a lot of new stuff in a certain order and test every single thing as it's added. Building a new one, therefore, woudln't necessarily be any faster than building this one, they'd just skip the 10 years of innovation at the start. I wouldn't be at all surprised if there was already at least a couple of spares as it would not have added significant cost to make three rather than one, and would give a little bit of backup
Ironically a copy could cost much more.
This thing was built by a bunch of defense contractors over a decade, in plants that may have been shut down, by people who have left/retired, with components that are no longer made, with subcontractors that have gone out of business/been sold.
If you want to make an equivalent telescope, it's not too hard. If you want to make a precise copy, where you use this particular memory module from 1999 because it passed radiation tests and this type of kapton tape from this supplier is good for 10 years in vacuum - then it gets really hard.
It's why military aircraft projects tend to be very expensive, you build an order of x000 airframes and all the spares they are going to need for 30-40 years, because starting up a line to make a replacement PCB for 1980s fighter is $$$$$$
One colleague of mine was trying to get samples some particular astronomical emulsion - which Kodak stopped making because it contained Buffalo gelatin which was banned by BSE regulations. The Keck telescope, built in the 90s, has an entire team building replacements for 80/90s era control hardware.
Ironically a copy could cost much more.
This thing was built by a bunch of defense contractors over a decade, in plants that may have been shut down, by people who have left/retired, with components that are no longer made, with subcontractors that have gone out of business/been sold.
That was basically why the Shuttle was retired - they ran out of spare parts and couldn't afford to make new bits.
In the worst case, given that the design is now established; how much of a delay would producing a new satellite to the same specifications entail?
Would they duplicate the exact design? Or would they improve just things like wiring harnesses and other equipment?
Answer those two and you'll have your answer. Since it's a government program I would expect increased costs and more time needed.
"a function of employing people for so long, not necessarily in actual capex on equipment."
When you spend actual capex on equipment how do you think that actual capex is actually used?
Some on vendor's shareholders' dividends and some on vendor's execs' bonuses for sure, but a lot will go on employing people to make the stuff, some on the vendor's actual capex to buy the equipment used by the employees (see how actual capex is used), some to buy services and some to buy materials. The money spent buying services and materials will be used by the vendors in ways remarkably similar to that used by the vendors of whatever was bought as actual capex.
TL;DR Whatever the accountants' heading, buying stuff means people are employed to provide it.
James Burke was famously chastised for crossing his fingers during the moon landing. I don't care, mine will be firmly crossed for the launch and I hope the unfurling and initialisation goes to plan. JWST is not just a satellite, NASA's future credibility (in the eyes of the beancounters) relies totally on this working to spec ...
i'm deeply privileged and moved that they decide to honour my birthday by sending up a huge candle with an amazing telescope.
It'll beat the hell out of the telescope i got last year & i'll be able to view the pics without standing outside in the freezing cold!!
just wish i could be in Guiana to watch the launch live, maybe next year
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Personally, I'm thinking most of the "non-technical" world population are going to be in for a shock, when the first pictures come back from JWST. Hubble has spoiled the masses with spectacular full COLOR photos of distant galaxies, nebula's, etc, etc. Since JWST is an INFRA-RED telescope, the general public might be quite under-whelmed by what they are shown.
As for myself, I can't wait to see the first JWST "Deep Field View", no telling what will show up, but it'll be spectacular, and jaw dropping most likely.
God's Speed JWST, a successful deployment will push our knowledge and understanding of the Universe itself spectacularly past our current knowledge base.
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