Unlike Hubble, the Webb telescope won't be serviceable. This is a one-shot deal.
I recall that the mirrors on the Hubble were eroded by something like 1000 nanometers after the launch, so the initial images were blurry. Astronauts were able to basically install correction lenses to fix the issue. They considered that this time and made the mirrors from different materials and they have moveable parts so it can at least calibrate in the event of some damage.
I think the riskiest part is that meteors the size of sand or pebbles might shred the heat shield. They reinforced the materials to take that into consideration but it is still a big risk. The Webb telescope won't last forever and is relying a lot on luck since there is no way to know everything that is flying around out there. Much of it is just too small to detect from Earth. Hopefully they get some good years out of it.
I am curious about what practical knowledge they hope to gain from it. All I keep reading is that they want to get images from the early formation of the universe, which sounds super cool. But there seems to be little talk about what practical applications that knowledge will give us. I assume there is something and it isn't just a vanity project, but I really want to know.
Theres plenty of youtube content on its missions.
On top of the deep dive into the universe,
They're going to really zoom in on close to 4000 known earth like exoplanets and learn their so called genetic make up.
Then They're going to get real up close to celestial bodies like Supernova, Nebulae, dwarf stars and get greater imaging of black holes, and gain greater knowledge on their chemical make up.
It's got a full workload for the ten year lifespan it has.
And they're apparently already working on drone missions to fuel it up in the future.
That is of course, it doesn't get dinged up during its lifespan.
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Theres plenty of youtube content on its missions.
On top of the deep dive into the universe,
They're going to really zoom in on close to 4000 known earth like exoplanets and learn their so called genetic make up.
Then They're going to get real up close to celestial bodies like Supernova, Nebulae, dwarf stars and get greater imaging of black holes, and gain greater knowledge on their chemical make up.
It's got a full workload for the ten year lifespan it has.
And they're apparently already working on drone missions to fuel it up in the future.
That is of course, it doesn't get dinged up during its lifespan.
I get that, but I mean practical knowledge, like things that can be applied to better the life of our planet and the life on this planet.
Going by what you posted, I can surmise that maybe there will be break throughs in our understanding of physics that may be applied on Earth to create better alternative energy, or better propulsion for future space travel? I'm not an astrophysicist (I know, a real shocker), so I don't understand what the overall utility of the project is other than getting some great images. Like I said, there must be something they are hoping to learn that actually helps humans and our planet.
Don't get me wrong, I am totally interested in what they find, but I also wonder if the resources would be better used to explore inward instead of outward, just for the sake of what we really need right now.
Like with Hubble, we got some really great pictures, we learned that the universe expansion is increasing and not slowing down, we confirmed black holes and other things that were in the math but not substantiated at the time. All that stuff is great, but then what... that's the part that doesn't seem to get talked about.
I can accept that it is a difficult thing to answer since they aren't even sure what they will find, but for the things that they are set out to prove, what's the end purpose?
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I get that, but I mean practical knowledge, like things that can be applied to better the life of our planet and the life on this planet.
Going by what you posted, I can surmise that maybe there will be break throughs in our understanding of physics that may be applied on Earth to create better alternative energy, or better propulsion for future space travel? I'm not an astrophysicist (I know, a real shocker), so I don't understand what the overall utility of the project is other than getting some great images. Like I said, there must be something they are hoping to learn that actually helps humans and our planet.
Don't get me wrong, I am totally interested in what they find, but I also wonder if the resources would be better used to explore inward instead of outward, just for the sake of what we really need right now.
Like with Hubble, we got some really great pictures, we learned that the universe expansion is increasing and not slowing down, we confirmed black holes and other things that were in the math but not substantiated at the time. All that stuff is great, but then what... that's the part that doesn't seem to get talked about.
I can accept that it is a difficult thing to answer since they aren't even sure what they will find, but for the things that they are set out to prove, what's the end purpose?
If you truly are interested in what else the telescope can discover outside of a few cute photos, there are plenty of resources online on the NASA site and YouTube that dive deep in-depth as to what it can uncover. I've done quite a bit of reading/watching on it and I learned quite a few things it can do that I had no idea about. I'd suggesting learning about them, as maybe it will change your mind a bit. I'm also not going to pretend I understand all of it...
Basically it's not just photos it's collecting. The JWST can see outside of our normal visual spectrum to capture data that is invisible to our earth-based telescopes and Hubble. Does humanity ever want to know if we are truly alone in the universe? To me that's probably the biggest question in existence. JWST gives us a legit shot at answering that question based on the data it can collect.
Honestly I couldn't care less, and I suspect the engineers as well, about using the telescope to better our lives on earth and make life better here. If that is what you were expecting, an instrument to make life on Earth better, than prepare to be disappointed. This is about exploring the cosmos is greater details than ever before and knowing full well that it will make plenty of new discoveries. I'm not an astrophysicist either, but I find that extremely exciting.
I mean sure, the funding could have been spent here on earth. But it could also would have likely been wasted on something dumb like more defense spending, corporate bailouts and a bunch of other things humans already waste large amounts of money on. We've got plenty of money here on Earth for that. Time to spend some of it on something extraordinary and scientifically worthwhile.
As for the end purpose, that is impossible to say. But if we are ever to arrive at that "end purpose" one day as a species, steps like these are important to take.
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It has 100 hours dedicated to the solar system beyond Mars as well. I imagine if there was a telescope that could locate the mythical planet 9, that'd be a big one.
Getting a better look and understanding of the gas giants.
Lots to work on out there.
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at the core, JWST is the best possible tool to help humanity understand the nature, origin, and potentially future of our universe and existence. The data that it will collect will help to prove, validate, or invalidate some of the core principles or physics, and may lead to revelations that could give us a grand unified theory.
This could be as much (or even bigger) a step the theory of relativity in terms of advancing human science. An example of a technology that influences every day life that is reliant on the theory of relativity is GPS.
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Yeah these are really cool locations. I didn’t understand how they worked at all until I watched the Scott Manley (the legend) explanation. It immediately clicked for me with the visual component that starts around the 3 minute 30 second mark. (Specifically the image at 5:40 was my lightbulb moment)
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Yeah these are really cool locations. I didn’t understand how they worked at all until I watched the Scott Manley (the legend) explanation. It immediately clicked for me with the visual component that starts around the 3 minute 30 second mark. (Specifically the image at 5:40 was my lightbulb moment)
As I was reading the James Webb website I came across this benefit. Apparently the fousimg technology for the Morris has direct applications in Cateract treatment and diagnosis and LASIK surgery.
So even if the knowledge gained from the telescope isn’t “useful”. The engineering to build the telescope has applications on earth.
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Money wasted in space is always a bad argument at the tiny margins we are talking about. Space exploration has already created enough economic return on investment to pay itself forward for decades, and that's if you ignore that most of the money spent is on salaries that then renter the economy in the form of spending
It's hard to know what uses we will find for these heat shields or mirrors or super detailed actuators will be, but we'll find them. Also almost impossible to know what it would mean to our ability to do physics if we can see back into the universal dark age or find oxygen rich exoplanet atmosphere.
It's a telescope, it's purpose is to explore and learn, that's what humans do
It also will employ 1200+ people for 10 years
I appreciate all the answers. The increased understanding of physics is a major bonus and is bound to have benefits on Earth.
It's worth pointing out that NASA's mission statement is:
Quote:
NASA's Mission: Drive advances in science, technology, aeronautics, and space exploration to enhance knowledge, education, innovation, economic vitality, and stewardship of Earth.
Maybe not every mission has to encompass all those things, but I feel like the stewardship of Earth should be currently the most important aspect of any mission, hence why I was questioning the practical applications for the knowledge they are seeking. I feel it is the major threat humanity is currently facing.
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Astronomers have found a mysterious object in space that is “unlike anything” they have seen before.
A team mapping radio waves in the universe discovered the celestial object that releases a giant burst of energy three times in an hour, according to a release from the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR).
Quote:
Researchers believe the object could be either a neutron star or white dwarf, characterized as a collapsed core of stars, with a powerful magnetic field.
Spinning around in space, the object sends out a beam of radiation that crosses Earth’s line of sight, and for one minute every twenty minutes it is one of the brightest radio sources in the sky, the release states.
“This object was appearing and disappearing over a few hours during our observations, that was completely unexpected. It was kind of spooky for an astronomer because there is nothing known in the sky that does that,” said astrophysicist and team leader Natasha Hurley-Walker in the release. “And it’s really quite close to us – about 4,000 lightyears away. It’s in our galactic backyard.”
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The wave struck off the coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada, on November 17, 2020. It was 58 feet (17.6 meters) high. The freak occurrence of this record-setting wave didn’t cause damage to any ships or land. Just one lonely buoy – floating in the open sea – recorded the event.
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