Reply to: Webb launch set for Christmas Day

[d000hg]

Really pretty amazing to avoid any hitches so far. One assumes that from this point (or soon) it already starts having some usability even if everything doesn't go perfectly?

[ladymuck]

Well it's made it to L2 and the bits and bobs have been unfolded.

Now time to focus those mirrors and get testing!

[xoggoth]

Excellent news. They will probably spot god having a .....

[AtW]

""Nasa engineers yesterday completed the final unfolding of the huge primary mirror of the agency’s James Webb space telescope. The manoeuvre was the final step of the $10bn observatory’s two-week deployment phase that began with its launch on Christmas Day.

https://www.theguardian.com/science/...pace-telescope

[darmstadt]

I was at the Hubble launch and was sent to ESTEC for the when the first images came through. Pretty spectacular at the time, very impressive. I've been told that this time you can get them at home as long as you've had your booster vaccine....

[mattster]

This seems to all be going pretty well so far (touch wood). More than 75% of "single point failure" operations completed successfully so far, with just the deployment of the primary mirrors to come over the next two days, then the L2 insertion burn and 5 months of calibration! Worth noting that they have a "functional" telescope now, even if the primary mirror wings were to fail to deploy.

More here: https://webb.nasa.gov/content/webbLa...tExplorer.html

[darmstadt]

First image already in:

[OwlHoot]

Hope they didn't leave the lens cap on!

Hope they didn't measure the diameter of one mirror in metres and another in fathoms, like last time with the Hubble!

[NotAllThere]

Update: Santa has been destroyed by the range safety officer.

xkcd.com

[ladymuck]

Hurray! It's safely on its way!

Just have to wait about a month for it to get to where its going and ensure that it unfolds. It'll be fully operational in about six months.

[GJABS]

Hope they didn't leave the lens cap on!

[ladymuck]

Two minutes in and it's not blown up yet!

[cojak]

So I’ve got me Sherry and chocolate by my side. 20 minutes to go!

[GJABS]

It's an impressive machine in many ways.



Designed by NASA, Canada, and the European Space Agency.


..But there are some who say that that bloke Bob Holness, the "Blockbusters" host who it was claimed played the sax in Jerry Raffety's "Baker Street" had something to do with it too. I can't think why..

[ladymuck]

^^ what she said

Thanks for the reminder. I'm sure NASA will be live streaming via one of their many YouTube channels, that's where I watched coverage of the last Mars mission