The James Webb Space Telescope and stuff

[tater]

Maybe the idea is to pile up dollars underneath it until it reaches orbit.

[PB666]

3 minutes ago, tater said:

Maybe the idea is to pile up dollars underneath it until it reaches orbit.

But they need to go to L2, yikes.

 

[tater]

2 minutes ago, PB666 said:

But they need to go to L2, yikes.

 

It needs to be pretty high to get to the point where the tangential velocity at the surface = orbital velocity, anyway.

Actually, that's just about right... something like 2 Mkm, and it's supposed to go to 1.5 Mkm, so that's the solution, just pile money under it.

[Hesp]

3 hours ago, tater said:

It needs to be pretty high to get to the point where the tangential velocity at the surface = orbital velocity, anyway.

Actually, that's just about right... something like 2 Mkm, and it's supposed to go to 1.5 Mkm, so that's the solution, just pile money under it.

Shouldn't GEO be enough for that?

Anyway, a dollar bill is 0.11mm thick. 9B$ = 990km

[PB666]

Lol, 34,000,000,000 dollars to go. Whoops that means it will take 34 more years

 

Off-topic. KSP has released two new updates recently, 1.4.1 and the DLC . . . .an add-on thats 15 bucks or so. 

I just ran a launch in 1.4.1 and it was like incredible easy to get to orbit. 

[while you are waiting for PLs to reach their launch sites and for JWST and EM-1 to tell you about their next slip, play the updates]

Edited March 27, 2018 by PB666

[DerekL1963]

5 hours ago, PB666 said:

Lol, 34,000,000,000 dollars to go. Whoops that means it will take 34 more years

Currently SLS and JWST are neck-and-neck in the race to see who will launch last...

Relevant image, JWST estimated cost and launch date over time.

[Gargamel]

If we use pennies, it should reach 1.8 mil km......

[basic.syntax]

This hopeful video shows just how complicated the unfolding process will be.  Going to be a lot of crossed fingers, for a long number of days after it launches. 

 

 

 

[sevenperforce]

4 hours ago, basic.syntax said:

This hopeful video shows just how complicated the unfolding process will be.  Going to be a lot of crossed fingers, for a long number of days after it launches. 

 

 

 

That...may be slightly too complicated to build in KSP.

I MIGHT be able to get an unlocking mechanism for the telescope hexagon panels.

[tater]

There's a mod that adds JWST.

[PB666]

1 hour ago, sevenperforce said:

That...may be slightly too complicated to build in KSP.

I MIGHT be able to get an unlocking mechanism for the telescope hexagon panels.

It might be too complicated for rl. 

[sevenperforce]

20 minutes ago, PB666 said:

It might be too complicated for rl. 

The hexagonal golden sections can be constructed easily enough. Then it's a question of a stock hinge, landing legs for actuators, and Clampotron Jrs for locking into place. I may be able to get the secondary mirror to fold down similarly and ape the upper strut with an antenna. 

The sunshield will be well-nigh impossible.

[PB666]

17 minutes ago, sevenperforce said:

The hexagonal golden sections can be constructed easily enough. Then it's a question of a stock hinge, landing legs for actuators, and Clampotron Jrs for locking into place. I may be able to get the secondary mirror to fold down similarly and ape the upper strut with an antenna. 

The sunshield will be well-nigh impossible.

I do agree, the game needs a deployable stock hinge with a node on the flip that can be used to attach and deploy stuff.

[sevenperforce]

7 minutes ago, PB666 said:

I do agree, the game needs a deployable stock hinge with a node on the flip that can be used to attach and deploy stuff.

I have a pretty good one set up as a subassembly but it's a bit bulky. And it's single-use.

[basic.syntax]

It's an amazing engineering challenge - all the foils and membranes that have to unfold and stretch; now I understand why it spent so much time in vacuum chamber testing.  This more recent article talks briefly about technical problems they've been working on:

Quote

These include leaky valves within the spacecraft's propulsion system and difficulties encountered during deployment tests of the sun shield. Not only did the thin, five-layer sun shield snag during the deployment, but technicians also found seven tears up to 10cm long within the material. NASA and Northrop Grumman have identified fixes for these problems, but their repair has added months of delays to the project, and engineers cannot be sure that more issues will not crop up during further testing.

 

[PB666]

17 minutes ago, basic.syntax said:

It's an amazing engineering challenge - all the foils and membranes that have to unfold and stretch; now I understand why it spent so much time in vacuum chamber testing.  This more recent article talks briefly about technical problems they've been working on:

 

Too late for further testing.

[Shpaget]

On 3/28/2018 at 12:31 AM, PB666 said:

34,000,000,000 dollars to go.

But after deployment you get your money back. Besides, you don't need to use USD. Use any currency you like.

Or use your pennies. Then you only need 275 million dollars.

[insert_name]

http://spacenews.com/nasa-struggling-to-get-james-webb-space-telescope-across-the-finish-line/

[insert_name]

The name of this thread is becoming more and more ironic

http://spacenews.com/jwst-suffers-new-problem-during-spacecraft-testing/

[Shpaget]

Quote

some “screws and washers” appear to have come off the spacecraft 

Honestly, that's pathetic. I though that the most expensive part of the space program was the unusual amount of double checks making sure everything is done properly, but after seeing this I've lost hope for JWST. If I were in charge, they'd have to disassemble the whole thing and start over. If they have loose nuts and bolts after just a few months of sitting in a fridge, the thing will fall appart during the launch.

NASA, get some threadlock or safety wire.

[Josh IN SPACE]

On 5/3/2018 at 11:37 PM, Shpaget said:

Honestly, that's pathetic. I though that the most expensive part of the space program was the unusual amount of double checks making sure everything is done properly, but after seeing this I've lost hope for JWST. If I were in charge, they'd have to disassemble the whole thing and start over. If they have loose nuts and bolts after just a few months of sitting in a fridge, the thing will fall appart during the launch.

NASA, get some threadlock or safety wire.

That's a good idea. Use the safety wire to tie up the fools that keep extending this project - dons tin foil hat - on purpose, and let the real workers get this thing done.

[Streetwind]

On 5/4/2018 at 2:14 AM, insert_name said:

The name of this thread is becoming more and more ironic

I know what you mean! I want this thing is space nao.

But I do want to point out that I mentioned in the first post how the actual telescope is finished. And about that fact, nothing changed. It's just the spacecraft bus they need to carry said telescope that keeps having all these delays.  

[Wjolcz]

2020? Ugh.................

I just wish BFR was already a thing. They could launch a bigger and cheaper telescope with it.

Edited May 7, 2018 by Wjolcz

[Hannu2]

On 3/28/2018 at 11:10 AM, basic.syntax said:

This hopeful video shows just how complicated the unfolding process will be.  Going to be a lot of crossed fingers, for a long number of days after it launches.

I am very positively surprised if that crazy mechanism from scifi movie ever work in real life. If not, engineers should probably take some cheap "keep it simple stupid" -course before next 10 billion project.

 

[tater]

(I would think no news is good news, so this can’t be good news)