The main mirror of the James Webb Space Telescope. In a new interview, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson shared he is “worried” ahead of the launch. (Image credit: NASA/Chris Gunn)Amid all the excitement, there is no shortage of nerves ahead of the launch of the worlds most powerful telescope. This Saturday (Dec. 25), the James Webb Space Telescope will blast off from Earth on a 1-million-mile (1.5 million kilometers) journey to its supreme location, where it will make groundbreaking brand-new observations of the early universe. With such enthusiastic science goals, more than 25 years of work and $10 billion spent, a lot is riding on the success of this telescope.NASA Administrator Bill Nelson is, for one, feeling “positive, positive, but nervous,” ahead of Webbs launch, he told Space.com.Webb will liftoff at 7:20 a.m. EST (1220 GMT) on Dec. 25 from Europes Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, atop an Arianespace Ariane 5 rocket. Live updates: NASAs James Webb Space Telescope launchRelated: How the James Webb Space Telescope works in pictures”My tension is typically low whichs the case now, and it in fact gets less as we get to the pad,” Greg Robinson, Webb program director at NASA, said throughout a prelaunch press conference held Tuesday (Dec. 21). “Then it increases tremendously with the rocket– and Im looking forward to that.”When asked whether his nerves originate from the fact that Webb is such a very long time coming or if they are the nerves that include every rocket launch, Nelson responded “all of the above.”But, he added, “particularly [with] this objective, when you get it released, theres still 300 things that need to work perfectly for it to be a success.” That comment refers to the roughly 344 “single-point failures” developed into the James Webb Space Telescope.Hundreds of failure possibilitiesThese numerous “single-point failures” are actions or treatments that each have to go well or it could spell disaster for the entire mission. Approximately 80% of those 344 actions are associated with Webbs deployment, Mike Menzel, Webb lead mission systems engineer for NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland, stated throughout a press conference on Nov. 2. Because of its huge size, Webb needed to be folded into its launch automobile, so it needs to extremely carefully deploy, or unfold, while in space. While the objective has a reasonable quantity of integrated redundancy, or backup systems, its tough to avoid having a single-point failure “when you have a release system. Its hard to put complete redundancy into that,” Menzel said, referencing the release systems that are part of deployment, actions that will slowly unfold the scope. Webbs implementation depends on 144 various release mechanisms.These mechanisms “all need to work perfectly,” Krystal Puga, Webb spacecraft systems engineer for Northrop Grumman, which developed the spacecraft, said during the same briefing.Related: NASAs James Webb Space Telescope has a shiny huge mirror made from gold hexagons. Heres why.Understanding the immense danger that features a lot of single-point failures, the teams dealing with this objective have been getting ready for something to fail. “Over the previous 2 years or so, the team has been practicing these contingencies circumstances, where [an] abnormality is presented, and the group will work to try to fix it and sort of rehearse plans,” Alphonso Steward, Webb deployment systems lead for NASA Goddard, said throughout the exact same news conference.A next-generation area telescopeThe James Webb Space Telescope is a next-generation observatory developed to assist scientists respond to some of the most significant concerns about our universe and its origins. By observing mostly near-infrared light, Webb will be able to peer incredibly far into the universes and, therefore, really far back in time. Webb will study the earliest moments of the universe, star development, far-off exoplanets and researchers even hope that it will help them understand dark matter.Webb will reach its ultimate destination– the Earth-sun Lagrange point 2, or L2, a gravitationally-stable point in area situated on the opposite side of Earth from the sun– about 30 days after launch. After taking some time to make sure the security of its scientific instruments Webb is expected to deliver its very first images back to Earth within 6 months. “The James Webb Space Telescope is an Apollo minute for all of NASA, for the whole world, however especially for our science programs worldwide,” Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for NASAs Science Mission Directorate, said during the Dec. 21 press conference. “Its the stuff of dreams.”Email Chelsea Gohd at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter @chelsea_gohd. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.
The primary mirror of the James Webb Space Telescope. Live updates: NASAs James Webb Space Telescope launchRelated: How the James Webb Space Telescope works in pictures”My stress is typically low and thats the case now, and it in fact gets less as we get to the pad,” Greg Robinson, Webb program director at NASA, said during a prelaunch news conference held Tuesday (Dec. 21). Approximately 80% of those 344 actions are associated with Webbs implementation, Mike Menzel, Webb lead objective systems engineer for NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland, stated throughout a news conference on Nov. 2. Webbs implementation relies on 144 various release mechanisms.These systems “all must work perfectly,” Krystal Puga, Webb spacecraft systems engineer for Northrop Grumman, which constructed the spacecraft, stated throughout the very same briefing.Related: NASAs James Webb Space Telescope has a shiny huge mirror made of gold hexagons.”The James Webb Space Telescope is an Apollo minute for all of NASA, for the entire world, however particularly for our science programs worldwide,” Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for NASAs Science Mission Directorate, stated during the Dec. 21 news conference.
