JWST Countdown To Terror 😳

[Laurieast]

3 minutes ago, AstroKeith said:

Anyway - mirror deployed and locked! Phew.

Where are you seeing that? 

[AstroKeith]

1 minute ago, Laurieast said:

Where are you seeing that? 

I've added the link to my post but here it is https://webb.nasa.gov/content/webbLaunch/deploymentExplorer.html#21

[AstroKeith]

Oops,

Thats a bad Nasa page - it is a set of steps, even if they havent been done.

[Stu]

1 minute ago, AstroKeith said:

Oops,

Thats a bad Nasa page - it is a set of steps, even if they havent been done.

Yes, is does say ‘Status: Future’ so that fun is yet to come!

[Highburymark]

Says the deployment of port wing mirror is still ongoing……

[kirkster501]

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope’s albums | Flickr

Great series of albums with pictures of the JWST at various stages of its development.

On another note I thought they'd be broadcasting the main mirror wing unfolding but seems that is not happening today.  Hopefully NASA are not having a POETS day ( I am sure you know what that stands for 😂)) .

[Floater]

Port mirror deployed and latched!

Yesss! 👍👍👍

[Highburymark]

32 minutes ago, Floater said:

Port mirror deployed and latched!

Yesss! 👍👍👍

Great news. In awe at what they have achieved. 

[Captain Scarlet]

Port side done. Starboard side tomorrow. Oars out on Sunday 😁

[Phil Fargaze]

From the Nasa TV web page:-

"No earlier than 9 a.m. (14:00 GMT Saturday)- Live coverage of the unfolding of the second of the James Webb Space Telescope's primary mirror wings, marking the end of the observatory deployments."

 

 

 

[Sunshine]

3 hours ago, kirkster501 said:

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope’s albums | Flickr

Great series of albums with pictures of the JWST at various stages of its development.

On another note I thought they'd be broadcasting the main mirror wing unfolding but seems that is not happening today.  Hopefully NASA are not having a POETS day ( I am sure you know what that stands for 😂)) .

Looking at these photos I can’t help but to be in complete awe at the level of planning, engineering, testing, and the years of troubleshooting it must have taken. When considering all this, I imagine an alien ship on approach to earth wondering what our species is capable of technologically and examining JWST thinking we’re capable of some amazing things. JWST in my opinion would make a great example of what our species can achieve. Even though they would be light years ahead of us I think they would be impressed, the same way we look at the Antikythera Mechanism as an example of what our ancestors were capable of.

Edited January 7, 2022 by Sunshine

[Mr Spock]

From JWST "One more to go tomorrow and we will be fully deployed!!!"

Exciting!

[Mr Spock]

I should add tomorrow is this afternoon 

[Floater]

12 hours ago, Sunshine said:

… Even though they would be light years ahead of us …

Tut, tut! The sort of statement that makes astronomers shudder! 😱

(Just a wee joke from a pedant 🤡. I know what you mean. Impressive indeed!)

Edited January 8, 2022 by Floater

[tomato]

Thanks for the link to the photos, I must be getting old as I missed these despite numerous visits to the website. 
Great to see the telescope and mirror chassis under construction, there might still have  been room for some less high tech engineering on the project.

On a separate flight of fancy, I was wondering if the folding mirror and motor driven collimation will ever find its way into the amateur market. The big expense for large amateur scopes is usually making the large mirror, would it be cheaper to produce 18 x 6” mirrors (with the right individual figure of course) then using a camera, software and actuators to collimate them when assembled. I suppose the big stumbling block is making the deformable mirrors, but we already have the camera, software? and actuator technology.

Imagine, a 30” Dob that would fit in the back of a Corsa! C’mon Synta, give it go, I’d beta test it for you.😊

[Laurieast]

Just started on NASA TV  

https://www.nasa.gov/nasalive

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21X5lGlDOfg

Live coverage of the unfolding of the second of the James Webb Space Telescope's primary mirror wings, marking the end of the observatory deployments.
No earlier than 1:30 p.m. - NASA will hold a media briefing as soon as possible after the end of the live broadcast coverage of Webb’s final deployments.

 

 

[SuburbanMak]

2 minutes ago, Laurieast said:

Just started on NASA TV  

https://www.nasa.gov/nasalive

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21X5lGlDOfg

Live coverage of the unfolding of the second of the James Webb Space Telescope's primary mirror wings, marking the end of the observatory deployments.
No earlier than 1:30 p.m. - NASA will hold a media briefing as soon as possible after the end of the live broadcast coverage of Webb’s final deployments.

 

 

Thank you - this is (and its an overused word) awesome! 

[Sunshine]

4 hours ago, Floater said:

Tut, tut! The sort of statement that makes astronomers shudder! 😱

 I would be willing to bet that if they had the capability to visit us from another system then they MUST be technologically superior. Unless we are really missing something about interstellar travel that is under our noses and we don't see it lol. 

Edited January 8, 2022 by Sunshine

[Sunshine]

Almost deployed! just a few feet to go but its moving.

 

UPDATE: DEPLOYED! 

Edited January 8, 2022 by Sunshine

[Phil Fargaze]

Fingers crossed now for the latching to go smoothly. 

[westmarch]

Awesome technological and engineering achievement.  The accompanying NASA video on the hurdles to be overcome really brings it home.

John

 

[Zermelo]

22 minutes ago, Phil Fargaze said:

Fingers crossed now for the latching to go smoothly. 

I love how, whenever they talk about latches on the live streams, they always add "it's like what you have on your bathroom door", just in case we weren't sure.

So that bit won't have eaten up much of the $9.7billion, then.

[UKDiver]

5 minutes ago, Zermelo said:

I love how, whenever they talk about latches on the live streams, they always add "it's like what you have on your bathroom door", just in case we weren't sure.

And those never stick. Oh no. Still, got to fill that air time. Can't have silence.

[Malpi12]

26 minutes ago, Zermelo said:

latches

Oh no ! they forgot the screws and damaged the gold

[Sunshine]

31 minutes ago, Zermelo said:

I love how, whenever they talk about latches on the live streams, they always add "it's like what you have on your bathroom door", just in case we weren't sure.

So that bit won't have eaten up much of the $9.7billion, then.

I’m not so sure I would want to live with people who would justify having such a latch on a bathroom door.