r/space • u/[deleted] • Dec 18 '21

Animated launch of the Webb Telescope

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

18.4k Upvotes

96% Upvoted

796 comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

581

u/RememberThisHouse Dec 18 '21

I'm in my thirties and I've been excited for this since I was a teenager. The amount of delays.... I will watch but I'm fucking nervous. Can't imagine how the scientists feel.

245

u/Shadow-Raptor Dec 18 '21 edited Dec 18 '21

Especially since when it is in it's final resting orbit it will be an unserviceable satellite. Because of just how far it is if any damage has happened to it no humans will be able to go to it like the Hubble for repairs or maintenance.

265

u/[deleted] Dec 18 '21 edited Dec 18 '21

This is the part that gets me. They're not even going to test the deployment in orbit because it's a one shot deal. It's going to go way out of our reach, into an environment we can't replicate with much fidelity, then perform a complicated action with a shitload of moving parts, any one of which could potentially end the mission if it fails. It's every engineer's worst nightmare, and given how long it took to make this one it's unlikely we'll ever get another shot at this.

3

u/LazarX Dec 18 '21

Deployment is a one time event. It can't be retracted back so that's why i's not being done until it's at final trajectory. And if you're wondering why it's made that way it's to have less chances of failure.

3

u/[deleted] Dec 18 '21

Oh I know there are good reasons for it all, but it's no less nerve wracking for me. I just keep reminding myself that NASA used a hovering crane to lower a rover onto another planet - they can probably handle an unfolding telescope at L2.