Webb continues to unfold; has enough fuel for over a decade
Posted: Wed Dec 29, 2021 8:22 pm
From Art Technica:
"When fully operational, the James Webb Space Telescope will be enormous, with a sun shield measuring 12 x 22 meters. Obviously, however, it can't be sent to space in that configuration. As a result, the tension of the launch will be followed by weeks of equally nerve-wracking days as different parts of the observatory are gradually unfolded.
The good news is that the process has already started, and everything has gone off without a hitch so far. Meanwhile, NASA has analyzed the results of the initial firings of the observatory's on-board rockets, and determined that it will have enough fuel for "significantly more" than a decade of operations."
https://arstechnica.com/science/2021/12 ... -a-decade/
smp
"When fully operational, the James Webb Space Telescope will be enormous, with a sun shield measuring 12 x 22 meters. Obviously, however, it can't be sent to space in that configuration. As a result, the tension of the launch will be followed by weeks of equally nerve-wracking days as different parts of the observatory are gradually unfolded.
The good news is that the process has already started, and everything has gone off without a hitch so far. Meanwhile, NASA has analyzed the results of the initial firings of the observatory's on-board rockets, and determined that it will have enough fuel for "significantly more" than a decade of operations."
https://arstechnica.com/science/2021/12 ... -a-decade/
smp
