temp data now up on the JWST site

Also just completed deployment of the tower assembly holding the mirror and instruments. Next step release the sunshield cover and pull out the sunshield. Eek.

I read part of an article that was paywalled that suggested that, because the flight is following parameters so closely, it likely that the telescope’s working life could be extended.
Which always seems to happen – there is a working life span published, and then whatever it is continues happily working away long after it should have quietly died!

Hubble has, it’s been working for thirty years, there are the Voyagers, and various other long range satellites, as well as Mars rovers; here’s hoping JWST does as well as Hubble. Who knows, after ten years, it’s possible that a robot refuelling mission can be sent out.

@CountZero – un-paywall article direct from NASA – looks to be due to the accuracy of the Ariane V 🙂

https://blogs.nasa.gov/webb/2021/12/29/nasa-says-webbs-excess-fuel-likely-to-extend-its-lifetime-expectations/

A bit like Ryanair flight times: advertise the arrival time as 40 minutes after the planned time and you always make people happy when you arrive “early”.

CountZero
Full Member

Who knows, after ten years, it’s possible that a robot refuelling mission can be sent out.

If I understand rightly it has some docking capability so rather than refuelling it’s maybe more feasible to send out a tractor unit to do its maneuvering for it.

@dannybgoode – found another article a little while ago, it confirmed what you said about the accuracy of the launch and it’s ongoing flight being nominal!
https://www.digitaltrends.com/news/webb-space-telescope-mission-duration/

Of course, there are the usual caveats, there’s still some way to go until the ‘scopes final insertion into L2 orbit, so fingers crossed still.

OK the latest is the sunshield covers have been rolled back so the next bit is probably the most crucial – deploy sunshields from tomorrow. NASA are apparently also doing some live broadcasts starting on Sunday with Sunshield Tensioning. I wondered where this year’s “Slow TV” had got to.

starting on Sunday with Sunshield Tensioning. I wondered where this year’s “Slow TV” had got to.

I’m wondering where the greatest tension is going to be, come Sunday… 😁

Someone has managed to film the JWST from a ground-based remote telescope, which is rather cool; might be an interesting little project for those on here with ‘scopes.

https://www.space.com/james-webb-space-telescope-video-image-virtual-telescope-project

Sunshield successfully deployed. All 107 “devices” which had to release did so. It gets tensioned over the next couple of days.

Bet Amy johndoh is feeling a bit chuffed – and rightly so!

I am sure she will be but we haven’t caught up since Boxing Day as she’s not really had any time spare since then! We’re hoping to catch up over the weekend 🙂

She won’t quite know what to do with herself in a couple of weeks after spending the last nine years building up to this!

So apparently all is going okay, but not quite a positive as the press is currently sharing.

And FIL (the in-laws are in LA supporting the rest of the family) has just tested positive within a few days of their planned flight home. 🙀

Deployment Timeline Adjusted

Amy Loh is on a media conference at the moment and has just explained that the pause has been to check on the configuration of the solar panels to ensure adequate power output and the re-orientate the telescope to reduce temperatures of the motors which control sunshield temperature (-300K!). They are now happy that things are in the right operating window and tensioning has started.

What does -300k mean?

I think that’s when Newcastle fans think about putting a coat on. Minus 573C.

Spoiler – that’s not a real thing. -300F is pretty chilly – still T-shirt weather though.

What does -300k mean

Well it isn’t degrees Celsius or Kelvin so just a leaves fahrenheit. ~-148 C

No you’re right. I thought she said -300 Kelvin but that is obviously nonsense. So perhaps 300 Kelvin. Then again since it’s America I would guess it’s -300 F, which sounds right given that the current cold side temperature at the instruments is -314 F.

I think that’s when Newcastle fans think about putting a coat on. Minus 573C

😆

Yup – just caught up with them and Amy says everything is hunky dory 😹🥳 and she’s name checked on the BBC site…

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-59863092?fbclid=IwAR0M6WUBvXweNsex_Y4yi5z_S49w4D2eT47Rtxdfi3G9H-X8l6cvczXcQ6o

Pictures from the development and build – good shots of the vast size of the sunshield

https://www.flickr.com/photos/nasawebbtelescope/albums/with/72157624420579873

First layer tensioned.

😃

They’re cracking on now. 2nd and 3rd layers fully tensioned.

They’re cracking on now. 2nd and 3rd layers fully tensioned

Where are you getting your updates from?  The ‘Where is Webb’ page doesn’t have so much detail

From “Where is Webb” click on the “Webb Space Telescope” link – bottom left of the page. From there click on the Blog link.

Or Blog

Also Twitter @NASAWebb

oh that is excellent, thank you

There is a Nasa TV Live broadcast at he moment as layer 4 and 5 tensioning continues. They have a pretty cool “live animation” tool which takes real time data and creates a visual model of what is currently happening.

I’m finding this telescope to be really uplifting news. After all the idiocy of the last five years it’s reassuring that a few humans can still do really clever things. If the telescope is ever found by alien life they’ll at least think ‘well, they’re not all morons.’

And that’s it. All 5 layers deployed.

There is a Nasa TV Live broadcast at the moment

I really like that lady doing the interviewing.  She has a great balance of being tech but still being able to do the interview thing

edit: it’s also super relaxing to listen to, it’s like a non-musical version of lo-fi beats

Mint.

Does Amy Lo get to go on the lash now?

Hah! I hope so – but I think she is going to have a huge hole in her life once it is all done.

Update – not heard a word from her. I reckon she is still sleeping LOL!

It’s secondary mirror deployment day. Coverage on nasa.gov/live from 14:45 if you’re stuck on a boring conference call (aren’t they all?).

Yeah, I am not sure if Amy’s job is done now or whether she is still involved for the remainder of the unfurling.

xkcd have it covered.

“Being deployed to an L2 orbit beyond the Moon so out of range of any human or indeed robot servicing mission”.

It’s not going to the Earth/Moon L2 point, it’s going to the Sun/Earth L2 point, which is actually even further away. If they sent it to the Earth/Moon L2 point we wouldn’t be able to communicate with it, due to the moon being permanently in the way.