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James Webb Space Telescope reaches launch pad for Christmas liftoff
The James Webb Space Telescope is due to launch on Saturday (Dec. 25) during a 32-minute window that opens at 7:20 a.m. EST (1220 GMT). The massive observatory will blast off from Kourou, French Guiana, atop an Ariane 5 rocket operated by European launch provider Arianespace. You can watch launch coverage live at Space.com beginning at 6 a.m. EST (1100 GMT) courtesy of NASA or you can watch directly at the agency's website.
ESA launch kit (PDF).
Previously:
Space science: The telescope that ate astronomy
JWST Primary Mirror Starting To Come Together
New Space Telescope's Giant Gold Mirror Unveiled (April 29th)
Telescope That 'Ate Astronomy' Is on Track to Surpass Hubble
James Webb Space Telescope Vibration Testing Completed
Launch of James Webb Space Telescope Delayed to Spring 2019
Launch of James Webb Space Telescope Could be Further Delayed
JWST: Too Big to Fail?
GAO: James Webb Space Telescope Launch Date Likely Will be Delayed (Again)
Launch of James Webb Space Telescope Delayed to May 2020, Could Exceed Budget Cap
NASA Announces JWST Independent Review Board Members
Screws and Washers Have Fallen Off JWST Amid Testing and Independent Review
Launch of James Webb Space Telescope Delayed Again, This Time to March 2021, Cost at $9.66 Billion
NASA Administrator at House Hearing: WFIRST Could be Delayed to Help Pay for JWST
James Webb Passes Critical Mission Review for 2021 Launch, Final Testing Nearing Completion
NASA Ominously Chooses Halloween 2021 to Launch Long-Delayed Space Telescope
The James Webb Space Telescope, NASA's Next Great Observatory, Passes Final Ground Tests
The James Webb Telescope has a Launch Date
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope Passes Crucial Launch-Simulation Tests
James Webb Telescope: Preparations Resume for December 22 Launch
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope Fully Fueled for Launch
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(1)
TOO BAD YOU CAN'T BUY a voodoo globe so that you could make the earth spin
real fast and freak everybody out.
-- Jack Handey, The New Mexican, 1988.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Friday December 24 2021, @08:11PM (4 children)
Which part of the world will Santa be in at the launch time? The military used to track Santa so they wouldn't launch anything at him. Does NASA even have the secret codes on the secret frequencies to communicate with Santa Clause? I assume that Navy Air is checking on possible collisions! Can't count on Army or Air Force.
(Score: 3, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Friday December 24 2021, @08:23PM
Contrary to the propaganda, santa is out with covid, right now in mandatory 10-day quarantine.
You ain't getting jackshit this x-mas - "supply chain" problem you see.
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Friday December 24 2021, @09:09PM (1 child)
The sleigh's grounded this year because Rudolph violated the Code of Conduct again.
(Score: 2, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Friday December 24 2021, @10:31PM
Rudolph usually violates Blitzen. Which one is Code of Conduct?
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Friday December 24 2021, @09:48PM
Just got a card* with Santa on the couch in a psychotherapy office. The shrink is sitting to one side, she's taking notes on a pad. Santa says, "When I was a kid my parents told me I didn't exist."
* egad, yes, I mail cards to friends and they mail them to me--it's the latest fun covid pastime.
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Friday December 24 2021, @08:16PM
By and Arain rocket.
Right. Good job ALL WHITE NASA
(Score: -1, Redundant) by Anonymous Coward on Friday December 24 2021, @08:20PM
To the Infinity!
Or Kaput!
That is the question.
(Score: 5, Interesting) by Snotnose on Friday December 24 2021, @09:25PM (5 children)
If memory serves 138 is the right number, and that doesn't include the launch. If any one of them fails, the whole project fails.
That means there are 138 managers who's reputation are on the line in the next 30 days, and I sure as hell wouldn't want to be one of them.
I've done software for 40 years, and I can think of only 2 managers I've had I would trust with one of these, both were with Qualcomm in the 90s.
Shoutout to Rich and Cliff.
When the dust settled America realized it was saved by a porn star.
(Score: 2) by acid andy on Friday December 24 2021, @10:42PM
Don't tell me that Snotnose. I'm nervous enough about this launch as it is!
If a cat has kittens, does a rat have rittens, a bat bittens and a mat mittens?
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday December 25 2021, @01:24AM (1 child)
It's 300 and something. Most of them are related to the deployment, but a few are part of the actual science stuff.
It might work, but if they each have a 0.2% chance of failure, the overall system is still just a coin flip. To get actual good odds you need four or five nines on them all. Assuming the rocket doesn't blow up.
(Score: 5, Informative) by takyon on Saturday December 25 2021, @07:41AM
Sauce:
James Webb Has 344 Single-Point Failures. Here Are the 5 Most Critical Elements [interestingengineering.com]
If it does fail, space telescope development needs a reality check.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 0, Disagree) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday December 25 2021, @02:41PM
> 138 managers who's reputation are on the line
Managers? I don't think you know how this works. It's the lousy staff, can't get anyone decent these days. They better shape up else Christmas is cancelled FOREVER you mutts.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 26 2021, @02:51AM
One manager can be (and often is) responsible for multiple points of failure.
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Friday December 24 2021, @10:13PM (1 child)
What a wonderful day for a new bright star to appear in the sky.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday December 25 2021, @03:08PM
Yes, I too celebrate the solstice of the Julian calendar.
(Score: 4, Informative) by acid andy on Friday December 24 2021, @10:41PM (3 children)
Thanks SoylentNews, I might well have missed this if it wasn't for this article. Now I've really got something to look forward to on Christmas day!
Hey, the comment counts on the home page for the most recent stories are showing as zero. Until I clicked on the story I thought I was the only one nerdy enough or addicted enough to be commenting on Christmas eve but I guess something broke.
Merry Christmas Soylentils!
If a cat has kittens, does a rat have rittens, a bat bittens and a mat mittens?
(Score: 2, Touché) by khallow on Saturday December 25 2021, @12:26AM (1 child)
Like all your fellow Soylentils, perhaps?
(Score: 4, Touché) by acid andy on Saturday December 25 2021, @01:36AM
Shouldn't you consider the possibility that it's the complement of the set of fellow Soylentils that's broken?
If a cat has kittens, does a rat have rittens, a bat bittens and a mat mittens?
(Score: 2) by bzipitidoo on Sunday December 26 2021, @03:31AM
Something broke? What, the atheists won the War on Christmas??
(Score: 2) by corey on Friday December 24 2021, @11:06PM (8 children)
Might watch it. JWST is going to be interesting. Hubble is old school.
For us in AEDT, it’s 9.20pm tonight.
(Score: 3, Informative) by takyon on Saturday December 25 2021, @10:00AM (7 children)
NASA livestream starts an hour and 20 minutes early, or 1 hour from this comment.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by canopic jug on Saturday December 25 2021, @12:29PM
Thanks takyon. Because of the story here, I was able to catch the live stream of the launch. n
Money is not free speech. Elections should not be auctions.
(Score: 2) by acid andy on Saturday December 25 2021, @12:42PM (5 children)
Hate to lower the tone, but I'm feeling sorry for the guy overseeing the launch, Jean-Luc Voer--it totally sounds like the narrator keeps calling him voyeuer!
If a cat has kittens, does a rat have rittens, a bat bittens and a mat mittens?
(Score: 2) by acid andy on Saturday December 25 2021, @12:56PM (2 children)
s/Voer/Voeur/ s/voyeuer/voyeur/ Seems like an easy name to get wrong!
Did anyone else see some small bits coming off the bottom part of Webb when it separated from the upper rocket stage? Hope that was just the springs / separation equipment. I thought the foil at the top of the picture looked sort of rough too. Hope there's no problems there!
If a cat has kittens, does a rat have rittens, a bat bittens and a mat mittens?
(Score: 5, Insightful) by takyon on Saturday December 25 2021, @01:24PM (1 child)
You see that with pretty much any rocket launch with a camera showing stage separation. It's probably ice or something. It's not a Space Shuttle Columbia situation.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday December 25 2021, @02:38PM
also the difference in speed between that last and all earlier stages that fell away instantly.
(Score: 3, Funny) by tangomargarine on Sunday December 26 2021, @05:51AM (1 child)
"Jean-Luc Voyager"? Sounds like somebody's getting their Star Trek series mixed up.
"Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"
(Score: 2) by acid andy on Sunday December 26 2021, @10:55PM
Yeah even my other half insisted he should be named Picard, what with his bald head and being in charge of (part of) a space mission. I muttered that he needed to say "Make it so."
If a cat has kittens, does a rat have rittens, a bat bittens and a mat mittens?
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday December 25 2021, @01:29PM (3 children)
i wonder what we need to see with it that will allow us to buy 5 bellon dollar$ worth of bitcoins...
(Score: -1, Offtopic) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday December 25 2021, @01:31PM (2 children)
you need a account at "only fans" for the uhm..err... deep penetrating views of the loonyverse, first...
(hint: god doesn't drive a ferrari)
(Score: -1, Offtopic) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday December 25 2021, @05:24PM (1 child)
Didn't Musk give Him a Tesla?
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday December 25 2021, @06:15PM
i suppose we'll see HIM but since HE's sooo far away, the new telescope will see 1/10000 of his left toenail tho the debate will rage on and a new better telescope will be required to clarify which toenail it was exactly ...
(Score: 3, Informative) by hendrikboom on Saturday December 25 2021, @02:05PM (11 children)
It's in orbit now.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday December 25 2021, @02:35PM
funny that the info graphics show shadows on the cold side.
https://www.jwst.nasa.gov/content/webbLaunch/deploymentExplorer.html [nasa.gov]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday December 25 2021, @02:43PM
How long til it reaches Mars and initiates planetary oxygenation?
(Score: 2) by crafoo on Saturday December 25 2021, @03:12PM (1 child)
Damn I missed the launch. I just assumed it would be pushed back again!
I was watching Scott Manley's video yesterday on Webb and I think he said it will take about 2 weeks to get into the final orbit out past the moon-earth L2 point. They undershot on the upper stage because there was a risk it would be an over-performing engine and send the telescope out past it's orbit, with too much energy for the telescope to use it's fuel to return.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday December 25 2021, @05:12PM
>> Damn I missed the launch. I just assumed it would be pushed back again!
Yeah, I'd put aside some time in 2029 too.
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday December 25 2021, @07:34PM (2 children)
Making it past the swirling swarm of space junk around our poor old planet is a big step. The things that Hubble brought us must be appreciated and not forgotten. Webb is the next stage, the next generation - decades on. I feel privileged to live to see the wonders this new instrument will show us about the universe.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 26 2021, @02:58AM (1 child)
Not really. Most of what is up there is easily avoided if you are just passing through. The trouble happens when you stay in near Earth orbit, because repeated near-misses means something will eventually hit.
(Score: 2) by FatPhil on Sunday December 26 2021, @07:50PM
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 2) by coolgopher on Saturday December 25 2021, @10:29PM (2 children)
Did hell just freeze over??
(Score: 3, Insightful) by hendrikboom on Sunday December 26 2021, @12:35AM (1 child)
Well, if you read Dante, you'll know that the innermost circle of Hell is already a permanently frozen waste.
(Score: 2) by coolgopher on Sunday December 26 2021, @11:18AM
So... telling Musk to go to hell is merely encouragement for his existing endeavour?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 26 2021, @07:52AM
This is just the URL to Google's news on the JWST.
https://news.google.com/stories/CAAqNggKIjBDQklTSGpvSmMzUnZjbmt0TXpZd1NoRUtEd2lyM3VTLUJCRm9XZU5rd0IzOEV5Z0FQAQ?hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US%3Aen [google.com]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday December 25 2021, @06:38PM (5 children)
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday December 25 2021, @07:03PM
I don't think it would fit in their fairing, and they'd already decided on Arian waaay back
(Score: 4, Informative) by takyon on Saturday December 25 2021, @07:57PM (1 child)
They started planning this mission in 1996 for a launch in 2007. Falcon 9's maiden flight was in 2010.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday December 25 2021, @11:06PM
Man, we almost got to Web 4.0 before JWST launched.
It's weird to think that JWST is nearly as old as the WWW. Also weird that that still feels like yesterday.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday December 25 2021, @11:27PM (1 child)
They got a free launch, and in return, Europe gets extra time on the telescope
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 26 2021, @10:58AM
No such thing as a free launch
(Score: 0, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 26 2021, @02:23AM (4 children)
I thought soylentnews supported diversity equity and inclusion.
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 26 2021, @02:52AM
Ok Jew.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 26 2021, @03:49AM
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_E._Webb [wikipedia.org]
TL;DR Someone put words in his mouth and then used that and the actions of others to accuse him.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 26 2021, @05:48AM (1 child)
What is this, 6 degrees of cancel culture? Why is it SN's fault for reporting on a thing named after a guy who may have said something that had nothing to do with the thing
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 26 2021, @03:52PM
OP is obviously mocking the SJW menace.