James Webb Telescope Launch (finally)

Cray said:
Does anyone know if this is still the plan for the first observations?
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I don't recall all the detail but some of the already decided plans are listed, I think in the Wiki article.
 
Brian_G said:
^^ So at its furthest point, it's actually more than half the distance back to Earth again (in another direction though).
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Yeah its a big ass orbit.. btw who even knew you could orbit around an empty point in space, I somehow have gravity as a function of mass, like in you can only orbit a solid heavenly body like a planet or a star.
 
grok said:
Yeah its a big ass orbit.. btw who even knew you could orbit around an empty point in space, I somehow have gravity as a function of mass, like in you can only orbit a solid heavenly body like a planet or a star.
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That was mentioned somewhere - you're right, not an actual orbit but rather a kind of controlled falling is how I think they put it.
 
Hello, instruments!

According to an emailed statement from the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), Webb will begin turning on its science instruments today (Jan. 28). That will include the Fine Guidance Sensor, which will guide the observatory's mirrors through the delicate alignment process to turn 18 small individual views into one massive view of the universe.

In the meantime, consider reading this op-ed from Thomas Zurbuchen, NASA's associate administrator for science, celebrating the vast team behind the James Webb Space Telescope.

"We did it. We did it, and you can see that speck of light in the sky because of an incredible team with extraordinary tenacity," Zurbuchen wrote. Read more>
 
A few other bits and pieces coming in, though not well written so I'll just summarise a bit.

Testing of science instruments is expected to take about 2 months. (IMO that's when it becomes a survival success.)

Instrument calibration isn't completely over after the 6 months commissioning period is up - there's either a project-specific further need for a while or a plan to do further calibration within those early projects, currently unclear.

The 20 years of fuel available announcement is not only subject to the ongoing need for fuel use, it's actually not the main reason for end-of-telescope scientists say. Rather, the science instruments aren't expected to last for much longer periods - no specific lengths discussed.

We will be getting to see some of the early out of focus / sync pics. The first great pics are still not being discussed re what they'll be.

I think much of this was covered in that last press conference.
Probably little else to watch for now other than occasional fine-tuning landmarks. /done?
 
well I did say nothing would go wrong

it seems anything that will go wrong now will be easily manageable
 
I'm still a bit nervous about the mid infra-red instrument and its cooling system, such extremes..
 
www.jwst.nasa.gov

Cryocooler Webb/NASA

The James Webb Space Telescope (sometimes called Webb or JWST) is a large infrared telescope with a 6.5-meter primary mirror. Webb is the premier observatory of the next decade, serving thousands of astronomers worldwide. It studies every phase in the history of our Universe, ranging from the...
www.jwst.nasa.gov

MIRI etc. temperature tracker:
www.jwst.nasa.gov

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

New linky:

Webb’s Mid-Infrared Instrument Cooldown Continues​

 
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www.nasa.gov

Studying the Next Interstellar Interloper with Webb - NASA Science

One of the most exciting findings in planetary science in recent years is the discovery of interstellar objects passing through our solar system. So far,
www.nasa.gov www.nasa.gov

"The ability to study one of these and find out its composition — to really see material from around another planetary system close up — is truly an amazing thing," said Cordiner, an astrophysicist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
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