Space Exploration - James Webb Telescope / Mars Rovers, etc

[Q729]

This is a nice status page;

Where Is Webb? NASA/Webb

During Webb's launch, deployment and commissioning, 'WhereIsWebb' tracked Webb's 'flight' to L2 orbit, its state and progress during its deployment and commissioning process, and finally the release of its first images. This process is now complete. During this process, the page constantly...

www.jwst.nasa.gov

Nice status page. Helps you visualize the steps and answers everything you'd wonder about the JWST. Just amazing how they discover things like all the Lagrange points. Like who the hell would ever think that was a thing...

 

[Q729]

Kinda like I wish Tom Brady would...

Or maybe we want him to furl... right before he gets the shit sacked out of him.

 

[rdlkgliders]

This thread may just cost me some cash. I was up in the garage gathering parts for my Dobsonian.
My mirror has gotten quite dusty. I may have to get my 18 year old to help build it back up as a project for the 2 of us. teach him to grind mirrors. could be fun$$.

 

[Psycho_X]

Can't wait, going to be exciting.

 

[Neil039]

Checked the website. Freaking insane the temper variation from each side. 9 days in.

 

[MadGoat]

Pictures are already coming in.













View attachment 50743

This one made me laugh as well.


View: https://twitter.com/izqomar/status/1475218150975315972

 

[rdw]

Glad I'm not the only space nerd on this site...

Personally, I'm very geeked up about what this new telescope will discover. What a time to be alive!

 

[Merlin]

This one made me laugh as well.


View: https://twitter.com/izqomar/status/1475218150975315972

What's fucked up is that's basically what happened with Hubble, only worse, with them not testing the mirror and finding out it was ground wrong once it was in orbit.

 

[Q729]

What's fucked up is that's basically what happened with Hubble, only worse, with them not testing the mirror and finding out it was ground wrong once it was in orbit.

So they had to go up in a shuttle to put some glasses on it, basically. lol. But it's been humming ever since!

 

[Q729]

Hmm, didn't know they ran into any problems. Overheating motors and a solar panel issue.

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/scienc...ace-telescope-hunky-dory-after-problems-fixed

 

[CGI_Ram]

Mirror deployment starts today…

Deployment Explorer Webb/NASA

Interactively explore Webb's deployments on this page. Webb is NASA's largest and most powerful space science telescope ever constructed. Webb’s enormous size and frigid operating temperature present extraordinary engineering challenges. After launching from French Guiana, the observatory will...

www.jwst.nasa.gov

Port Primary Mirror Wing Begins​

This step begins the Primary Mirror deployment phase.

Nominal Event Time: Launch + 13 days (Friday 1/7/22)

Status: Future.

The deployments team begins planning and operations for the deployment of the left/port (+V2) primary mirror wing from its stowed/launch position into its operational position. This operation deploys and latches the +V2 wing of the primary mirror. Each wing holds three of the 18 mirror segments. This is a motor-driven deployment.

 

[1maGoh]

I may be a stick in the mud, but I'm not finding myself that jazzed up about this. What's it supposed to do that isn't "more space pictures, but now marginally closer"?

 

[CGI_Ram]

I may be a stick in the mud, but I'm not finding myself that jazzed up about this. What's it supposed to do that isn't "more space pictures, but now marginally closer"?

From what I understand, and I am learning, infrared (the technology of this telescope) can see past the “cloud layers” Hubble couldn’t.

 

[RamFan503]

I may be a stick in the mud, but I'm not finding myself that jazzed up about this. What's it supposed to do that isn't "more space pictures, but now marginally closer"?

Stick in the mud.

 

[Q729]

I may be a stick in the mud, but I'm not finding myself that jazzed up about this. What's it supposed to do that isn't "more space pictures, but now marginally closer"?

The infrared can detect the composition of distant planets, like what atmosphere it has or if there's water, thus giving us valuable insight on whether or not they support life. It's not necessarily the pretty pictures, but it can do some of that too.

 

[1maGoh]

The infrared can detect the composition of distant planets, like what atmosphere it has or if there's water, thus giving us valuable insight on whether or not they support life. It's not necessarily the pretty pictures, but it can do some of that too.

It really irritates me to not be an expert in specific fields sometimes. I was watching a documentary about space once and this guy was talking about the first potentially habitable exoplanet ever found. I forget the exact verbiage, but the guy said it had a mass density in between granite and water and therefore the only possible conclusion was that the planet has both. That sounds slightly reductive, but I swear he said it just like that. "The whatever-density of granite is X. The whatever density of water is .5X. The whatever-density of this planet was .75X. The only thing that could mean is that this planet has both!" Those aren't the actual numbers, but it was the last sentence that got me. I mean, there has to be like 20 other reasonable explanations right? That can't be the only possible one. I'm not saying he's wrong about the planet, just that he chose terrible words.

Anyway, the point is that's cool. Hopefully they can do all the cool stuff with it they plan on.

 

[rdlkgliders]

I may be a stick in the mud, but I'm not finding myself that jazzed up about this. What's it supposed to do that isn't "more space pictures, but now marginally closer"?

720i meet 8k lol

 

[12intheBox]

View: https://twitter.com/sciguyspace/status/1479846560217407490?s=21

 

[Merlin]

I may be a stick in the mud, but I'm not finding myself that jazzed up about this. What's it supposed to do that isn't "more space pictures, but now marginally closer"?

It sees further back in time first off. And the light from that early in the universe's history is redshifted into infrared which is the window this telescope sees in. This means we're about to see some serious shit in the first couple years of it operating.

Also it will advance our ability to see spectral signatures in nearby planets as well as finding them by measuring wobble in stars. It's exciting stuff man.

This article is probably the best of the 3 that I linked at the start. It summarizes things well:

https://www.quantamagazine.org/why-nasas-james-webb-space-telescope-matters-so-much-20211203/

 

[1maGoh]

It sees further back in time first off. And the light from that early in the universe's history is redshifted into infrared which is the window this telescope sees in. This means we're about to see some serious shit in the first couple years of it operating.

View attachment 51056

Also it will advance our ability to see spectral signatures in nearby planets as well as finding them by measuring wobble in stars. It's exciting stuff man.

This article is probably the best of the 3 that I linked at the start. It summarizes things well:

https://www.quantamagazine.org/why-nasas-james-webb-space-telescope-matters-so-much-20211203/

I read that whole article just now. I once again walk away incredibly irritated that I can't understand how they can be so confident about some of these observations they're going to make.

I know, undoubtedly, that I'm standing on top of Mt Stupid on the Dunning-Kreuger graph but I just can't get my head around being able to realistically do what they're doing. In the Army I worked with satellite terminals shooting to satellites in geo synchronous orbit. A half degree off would put me off satellite for something much closer than what they're shooting at. A couple of tenths would make the signal go from good to shit. It boggles my mind that they believe their readings with the level of certainty they do. I know I'm wrong, but I can't get my head past it.