James Webb Space Telescope Launch May Be Delayed--AGAIN...

https://astronomy.com/news/2021/05/james-webb-space-telescope-launch-delay-likely-says-government-report

I hope they get this off the ground soon. I've always loved astronomy, maybe even longer than chess! The images this ultra-powered device is going to provide mankind will be a quantum leap forward even over all the Hubble Space Telescope. Consider this:

"Hubble's telescope is powerful enough to spot the light of a firefly at a distance of some 7,000 miles, and scientists have used these enormous capabilities to unlock many of the secrets of the cosmos."

An article comparing the Webb, Hubble, and including information on the European Space Agency's Herschel Space Observatory that is a good read:
https://www.jwst.nasa.gov/content/about/comparisonWebbVsHubble.html

It is said that the Webb 'scope could spot a candle in a window from as far away as the moon...

@Liljo
It is a nailbiter as to when it will be launched. Did they say why the delay?

@sonhouse
They did. They say it'll only be a couple of weeks beyond the planned October launch and, for once, it has nothing to do with the telescope itself. Something to do with the actual rocket this time.

That project has had it's fair share of delays, but it's understandable. There is absolutely no choice but to Get It Right the first time!

When I was a child, we lived WAAAAAAAAY out in the country. Moonless nights were just magical, as the Milky Way spread across the clear night sky. I had an older cousin who dated a young man that went on to do great things with NASA. One time he came out to our farm with a very powerful telescope. Through it I got to view Saturn's rings, Jupiter's Great Red Spot (barely visible), and several moons orbiting each of those planets.

I've loved astronomy ever since, so I greatly await the images that will be sent back from the Webb Space Telescope in the future!

The post that was quoted here has been removed

@Duchess64
"Why does the USA apparently believe that it has to name inanimate objects after people in the first place?"

I think they should rename it to 'Fuzzy-Bunny-Space-Telescope'.

@liljo said
When I was a child, we lived WAAAAAAAAY out in the country. Moonless nights were just magical, as the Milky Way spread across the clear night sky. I had an older cousin who dated a young man that went on to do great things with NASA. One time he came out to our farm with a very powerful telescope. Through it I got to view Saturn's rings, Jupiter's Great Red Spot (barely visible ...[text shortened]... e, so I greatly await the images that will be sent back from the Webb Space Telescope in the future!

The post that was quoted here has been removed

Another outstanding article comparing the Hubble to the Webb:
https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/topics/james-webb-space-telescope-vs-hubble-space-telescope

Easy read, yet very informative. I personally don't give a flyin' hoot what they named it. I want to see what it SEES! ! !

An interesting tidbit from the article:
"Photographing objects in space poses many challenges. Images we capture of space from Earth-bound telescopes usually show distortion because of the way pockets of hot and cold gas in the Earth’s atmosphere affect light passing through. This is why the stars seem to twinkle in the night sky. Hubble was originally launched into orbit around the Earth in 1990 to avoid this distortion.

Nowadays we have developed technology to avoid this problem. But we will still be sending the James Webb Space Telescope out 1.5 million km from the Earth so that its infrared detectors don’t pick up heat from the Earth. Because it will be so far out, NASA won’t be able to launch any maintenance missions on James Webb like they did with Hubble.

James Webb will be placed at that specific distance because this is the ‘Lagrange point’: where the gravity of the Earth and Sun are equal. This makes it easier to keep James Webb in a stable, predictable orbit around the Sun, which is important for tracking and pointing the telescope."

This helps to understand the extensive delays on launch. No maintenance missions...That is a lot of engineering, research, life's work of countless contributor's, sleepless nights, etc., tied into making sure everything--every single thing--goes exactly as planned.

I give a lot more thought to those things than to the name chosen. As a matter of fact, the name of it hadn't really even crossed my mind until it came up in this thread. Never thought about the name of the Hubble, nor the Herschel. Have been greatly delighted by the imaging provided by those devices, however.

Another great article describing things the Webb scope should be able to spot...including "Earth-like planets orbiting red dwarf stars."

Looking deeply into space is akin to time travel. Hubble holds the record for spotting a galaxy that formed 407 million years after the theoretical "Big Bang." Webb should be able to see to within 200-275 million years after that event. It will spot very young stars in their most pristine states.

Peace to all !

https://www.forbes.com/sites/startswithabang/2020/02/10/4-cosmic-records-that-the-james-webb-space-telescope-should-shatter/?sh=1fcbc9361e1b

@Liljo
No maintenance capability for this space telescope? That sounds to me like a really bad idea. One million miles out isn't such a great distance, so what's the big deal -- are they afraid of the radiation belts? And if manned repairs are truly impossible why not include a repair robot that can be operated with remote VR control. A 10 second delay shouldn't be that bad to work with.

@bunnyknight
The article doesn't specifically say "no maintenance capability." It does, however, say:

"Because it will be so far out, NASA won’t be able to launch any maintenance missions on James Webb like they did with Hubble."

I take that to mean "human" maintenance missions. I have no idea what other means of maintenance the device may already be carrying onboard.