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James Webb Telescope Passes Critical Tests
eldavojohn writes "The Hubble Telescope's successor reached a milestone today as it passed a critical design review. The James Webb Space Telescope was originally set to launch in 2013 but has run about $1B over budget and has been pushed back to a 2014 launch. Today's good news means that there shouldn't be further delays as the JWST has accomplished all science and engineering requirements for all mission-critical design functionality. Scientists, of course, think these delays and costs 'pale in comparison to the secrets of the universe the James Webb Space Telescope is expected to unlock.' These are exciting times for many realms of science, even if we're somewhat saddened by it being the loyal Hubble's twilight hours."
see here for details!
Help, this is the first time I ever had the chance to make the first comment... what do I do... I’m so unprepared... HELP. ;)
Ok, maybe I can at least lead the way for people using me to get on top.
Any sufficiently advanced intelligence is indistinguishable from stupidity.
It is a pity more isn't put into projects like this - I personally feel that we've have learnt so much from Hubbble that it is, at least for the time being, the best option for space exploration. But what wil happen to Hubble? Surely it will retain some functionality into the future?
The article states that the JWST passed the Mission Critical Design Review, which is a specific event, not just a "critical review". This review means that the entire spacecraft has been designed and analyzed. However, there are likely to be further delays as hardware is built and engineers realize it doesn't quite meet the expectations that the analysis set out for it.
Holy crap, $1 *BILLION* dollars over budget? For the love of christ, now all you statist morons know why those of us with more than 2 brain cells to rub together flock to the flag of libertarianism. Private companies could have built and launched this telescope by now and probably would have been a billion UNDER budget. Instead, we give this work to incompetent government workers who wouldn't know a telescope from a hole in the ground. How pathetic. Another worthless government failure.
Wise up, people. That's not a telescope, it's a wave motion gun. Just compare to its predecessor, Space Telescope Yamato - although the main weapon has been moved from a spinal mount to a giant deck emplacement, they're using the same hull layout and even an identical color scheme.
I'm just wondering out loud, but what's left for this telescope to discover? AFAIUI, Hubble was instrumental (heh) in discovering the background radiation and gravitational lensing, so I'm just wondering if there's some specific theory that astronomers are expecting this new telescope to confirm/deny...?
It is also worth pointing out that CDR is an event (as the parent states), not a "test" (as the article title alleges).
Do long multi-year projects typically take inflation into account for budget overrun analysis?
JWST is not a successor to the Hubble Telescope in any sensible way except for the fact
that they are both telescopes and both in space. JWST will look at infrared light between 600
and 28 000 nanometers, mostly way outside of the visible spectrum where Hubble makes its pictures.
We will learn a lot by those IR observations, that's for sure - but JWST does not replace Hubble, it
supplements it.
I really don't know how this "successor to Hubble" thing got started.
BEfore we wet our pants in excitement, let's remember:
* The Hubble passed a slew of design reviews too.
* Even so, it went up with many, many flaws, including:
* Electronics not shielded well enough to handle the South Atlantic Anomaly.
* Gyroscopes not qualified for the temperature cycles and SAA.
* Solar panels that oilcan buckle when going from sunlight to shade.
* Solar panel mount that does not go through the center of mass of the scope, so oilcan buckling causes the whole thing to oscillate.
* Unbalanced and uncushioned light cap that likewise shakes the whole thing when it's operated.
Although the new scope will have been checked against that list of problems, without major overhaul of the management structure, it's likely the same thing will happen this time.
BEfore we wet our pants in excitement, let's remember:
* The Hubble passed a slew of design reviews too.
* Even so, it went up with many, many flaws, including:
* Electronics not shielded well enough to handle the South Atlantic Anomaly.
* Gyroscopes not qualified for the temperature cycles and SAA.
* Solar panels that oilcan buckle when going from sunlight to shade.
* Solar panel mount that does not go through the center of mass of the scope, so oilcan buckling causes the whole thing to oscillate.
* Unbalanced and uncushioned light cap that likewise shakes the whole thing when it's operated.
Although the new scope will have been checked against that list of problems, without major overhaul of the management structure, it's likely the same thing will happen this time.
Granted Hubble had many problems when it launched mainly because it was one of the first and most advanced general purpose observatories launched.
We have had tons of experience building space telescopes over the past 30 years since Hubble was designed and Hubble is the only one that is serviceable by the shuttle.
Just to list all the successful observatories since Hubble:
Infrared Space Observatory (Europe)
Chandra X-Ray observatory
Spitzer Space Telescope
WMAP
FUSE
Herschel Space Observatory (Mostly Europe)
Planck (Europe)
Suzaku X-Ray observatory (Japan)
and probably a few others I forgot about.
Bottom line, we know a lot about building space telescopes now, the doom and gloom you forecast is probably a bit over the top. Every project has problems, that's why we have brilliant engineers to find solutions.
Not to mention the "spherical aberration" that required the installation of corrective lenses. http://hubblesite.org/the_telescope/nuts_.and._bolts/optics/costar/
Hopefully they got the focus correct this time, might be more difficult to pull off one of those orbital tech support deals without the shuttle.
Astronomers usually don't grab headlines but I'm starting to have to google these names just to find out who they are (Hubble I've heard of, Spitzer?(I thought he was a swimmer), James Webb?(even have to throw in the first name now lest people start to go Webb who?)).
People look at these scopes as single instruments but a lot of those scopes (including Hubble) are part of NASA's Great Observatories project which aims to cover as much of the EM spectrum as posible. IMHO it has to be the most underrated scientific project on the planet.
And did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage? - Pink Floyd.
it's likely the same thing will happen this time.
Actually it's unlikely since your pessimisim is ignoring the fact that the vast majority of space observatories have operated flawlessly.
And did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage? - Pink Floyd.
Just asking:
Anyone knows what are the capabilities of James Webb telescope, as compared to the (upgraded) Hubble telescope that we have been using?
If the James Webb telescope is better, in what way it is better?
Just asking, and thanks !
Muchas Gracias, Señor Edward Snowden !
How does NASA intend to haul it into orbit? I know there are only a couple of shuttle missions left, and I didn't think the Constellation program is due to launch before 2015?
My last day at Goddard Space Flight Center was yesterday. (almost 10 years!) I finally got around to getting a friend to give me a tour of the Spacecraft Systems Design and Integration Facility, where I got to see JWST parts in the clean room. (heh, 20 minutes of gowning procedures for a 10 minute trip into the clean room.) Very, very cool. Gonna miss that place.
I'm pretty sure I'm going to follow JWST a lot more heavily now, too many friends are involved in it to ignore it as I have been.
(Sadly, for what were apparently ITAR reasons I couldn't get pictures.)
Would I be right in saying that no African country will EVER produce a space rocket?
All people are genetically African, but since you will never produce a rocket or a coherent idea it might be better if we replaced you with a poodle that does tricks for liver treats. In fact, you'd make a pretty good doggy snausages liver treat for dogs that enjoy fatty road kill turd weasels and other twatty bigot morons.
The really ironic thing is that a 30 second test with a point light source, a knife edge and someone taking the time to look would have shown up the spherical aberration that crippled Hubble.
From the article, "This month, ITT Corp. in Rochester, N.Y., demonstrated robotic mirror installation equipment designed to position segments on the backplane."
I'm pleased to say that I was one of the individuals giving that demo to the JWST review team :) And kudos to the team for assembling quite the system for integrating the segments.
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