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Well gee, if you give NASA $10 billion to spend on a $500 million project, it turns out they might not totally FUBAR the project. Keeping my fingers crossed, which is superstitious I know.
Probably the most interesting and potentially impactful aspect of this telescope will be its ability to read the atmospheric composition of earth sized, habitable zone worlds. This could virtually confirm the habitability of multiple planets and even life. Also much less likely but more profound, is the possibility that James Webb could detect artificial light on alien worlds. This would obviously confirm industrial level alien intelligence and would be the single biggest discovery in human history.
But the more likely prospect of confirming the presence of oxygen, water and carbon on earthlike worlds would be a transformative scientific advance.
It remains a puzzle to me why we're not using the space station to finish assembling science instruments before sending them to their destination. We've had too many folded instruments not deploy correctly.
The physics do not work in our favor. The ISS is in a pretty low orbit that's inclined pretty severely away from Earth's own orbital plane. But the L2 point - where Webb is going - is exactly aligned with Earth's orbital plane. So you'd have to launch for an ISS rendezvous, do the work, then burn fuel to change your Earth orbit inclination, and then burn for L2. All of that costs propellant and adds complications.
Plus, you'd have build a telescope that can withstand the acceleration involved while deployed. Which adds mass - and every gram of bracing is a gram lost to science payload.
The physics do not work in our favor. The ISS is in a pretty low orbit that's inclined pretty severely away from Earth's own orbital plane. But the L2 point - where Webb is going - is exactly aligned with Earth's orbital plane. So you'd have to launch for an ISS rendezvous, do the work, then burn fuel to change your Earth orbit inclination, and then burn for L2. All of that costs propellant and adds complications.
Plus, you'd have build a telescope that can withstand the acceleration involved while deployed. Which adds mass - and every gram of bracing is a gram lost to science payload.
The former I'm pretty skeptical about since they can use the lunar gravity to compensate. The latter is perhaps more realistic. They could instead use an ion thruster; it would take longer to get there but you don't take as many risks with the unfolding.
We have to all agree that the idea of aliens visiting Earth is ridiculous - right?
So we have to assume these reported intelligently piloted craft are something man-made, so why not just fly out there and place the telescope in the correct position?
Maybe everyone likes a bit of drama and the possibility that things might go wrong.
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The former I'm pretty skeptical about since they can use the lunar gravity to compensate. The latter is perhaps more realistic. They could instead use an ion thruster; it would take longer to get there but you don't take as many risks with the unfolding.
Imagine wiggle room had a little to do with it too.
The former I'm pretty skeptical about since they can use the lunar gravity to compensate. The latter is perhaps more realistic. They could instead use an ion thruster; it would take longer to get there but you don't take as many risks with the unfolding.
All engineering is compromise. But it's fun to speculate.
I suppose they deserve credit for not wasting $9 billion. Yet.
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