James Webb Information Thread!

[boomtube-mk2]

https://www.yahoo.com/news/james-webb-space-telescope-launch-000522678.html

Johnathan Amos needs to learn the difference between further and farther, or maybe it is a British thing.
The article mentions that the Ariane rocket is very reliable.
It's not the rocket I'm most concerned about, it is the payload bus that is the weakest link, as it is a one-time design and has never been tested by deployment.

 

[aerostadt]

It's not the rocket I'm most concerned about, it is the payload bus that is the weakest link, as it is a one-time design and has never been tested by deployment.

Exactly. The telescope has been one long scary journey and unlike the Hubble telescope, if something goes wrong, it is too far away to service. I hope things go well. A lot of new science can be realized, but a lot things have to go right.

 

[Huxter]

And there's no plans to test anything (of consequence) in earth orbit before it gets sent to the LG 2 spot is there?

 

[KennB]

"Straight" shot out; no earth orbits.

 

[boomtube-mk2]

https://www.yahoo.com/news/james-webb-telescope-lifted-atop-171416089.html

Whereupon it was discovered that a BT-70 payload bay doesn't fit atop a BT-50 airframe without a really stupid looking transition, not to mention the fact that no piece of balsa could be found large enough to machine it out of.

 

[OverTheTop]

https://www.yahoo.com/news/james-webb-telescope-lifted-atop-171416089.html

Whereupon it was discovered that a BT-70 payload bay doesn't fit atop a BT-50 airframe without a really stupid looking transition, not to mention the fact that no piece of balsa could be found large enough to machine it out of.

I love the umbrella-looking thing around the crane hook to catch anything that might want to drop from the crane winch down onto the Webb.

 

[bad_idea]

My JWST-anxiety - which has been growing steadily with the endless delays and mishaps of the past few years - is now ratcheting up noticeably by the day. Even if it survives launch, how am I going to endure the two weeks plus it will take to deploy, transit to L2, and begin checkout?

 

[Hobie1dog]

about 7 days now left till launch, unless more delays.

 

[Huxter]

My JWST-anxiety - which has been growing steadily with the endless delays and mishaps of the past few years - is now ratcheting up noticeably by the day. Even if it survives launch, how am I going to endure the two weeks plus it will take to deploy, transit to L2, and begin checkout?

We all need to think positive things for the JWST! Only positive thoughts - the universe will take care of everything else!

 

[OverTheTop]

https://spaceflightnow.com/2021/12/...d-for-flight-ready-for-lifting-atop-launcher/
https://spaceflightnow.com/2021/12/...-of-webb-telescope-to-no-earlier-than-dec-24/"Engineers discovered an intermittent data dropout associated with a piece of ground support equipment after connecting the James Webb Space Telescope with its Ariane 5 launcher over the weekend in French Guiana. The observatory’s long-awaited blastoff will be delayed at least two days to Dec. 24 to troubleshoot the problem, the head of NASA’s science division said Tuesday. "

 

[bad_idea]

Hitting still more delays at this stage makes me feel the JWST is the arrow of Zeno's paradox.

 

[user 35280]

The launch has been delayed a couple of days because of a communication problem between the observatory and the launch vehicle system. Launch now scheduled for December 24th. More information on the new launch date will be provided no later than Friday December 17th.

 

[boomtube-mk2]

The ultimate act of bad luck would be if the James Webb was destroyed by a fragment of that satellite the Russians used as a target for their ant-satellite missile

 

[Funkworks]

A good summary of the project.

 

[Hobie1dog]

They might as well just go ahead and delay it one more day and shoot it off on Christmas.

 

[boomtube-mk2]

https://www.yahoo.com/news/10-billion-james-webb-space-130300582.html

Thye should have hired the special affects people from the James Bond movies; they make those diabolical evil satellite things work each and every time.

 

[OverTheTop]

They might as well just go ahead and delay it one more day and shoot it off on Christmas.

It will be Christmas down here.

 

[bad_idea]

They might as well just go ahead and delay it one more day and shoot it off on Christmas.

They just did, due to weather.

 

[Funkworks]

Merry Christmas everyone.
https://news.yahoo.com/james-webb-s...6hIp9hk9B9x6c_Py2v4dhEdkI9zN2VjvT2fott4v7fJWi🛰

 

[Marc_G]

Really bummed at the 7:20 AM launch time on Christmas morning. May not get to watch live due to family duties at that time...

 

[Blast it Tom!]

Really bummed at the 7:20 AM launch time on Christmas morning. May not get to watch live due to family duties at that time...

I hear you there! Hopefully it will be a good Christmas gift for us all (though we won't know for quite a while...)

 

[OverTheTop]

Conveniently in the avo down here.

 

[Hobie1dog]

got my alarm set

 

[SILVERFOX]

me too!!!

 

[jsdemar]

https://spaceflightnow.com/2021/12/...hip-launcher-ready-for-historic-webb-mission/

 

[Huxter]

Alarm set too. Where's the best choice to watch the launch? Space.com, Nasa TV, YouTube...?

 

[jsdemar]

NASA TV is most likely the best choice.

 

[bad_idea]

ESA will have live feeds in English and French:

https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/ESA_Web_TV

 

[neil_w]

This is a whole new level of pucker factor. Fingers crossed.

 

[Reinhard]

Almost missed it. T-2min