The James Webb Space Telescope will launch on Dec. 25 from Arianespace’s ELA-3 launch complex near Kourou, French Guiana. WTOP Space Reporter Greg Redfern will cover the launch from Baltimore’s Space Telescope Science Institute, where he will have access to engineers and scientists familiar with the telescope.
Follow along to get the latest updates on the launch and insights from leaders in the field.
A GREAT FIRST DAY
This is our last live blog. I want to thank the entire WTOP Digital Staff for their fantastic support and quick turnaround time for the past several days. The world is busy, but they got Webb updates out there on the net FAST!
THEY ARE THE BEST IN THE BUSINESS …
Roughly 14 hours after liftoff, JWST is over 100,000 miles away, almost halfway to the Moon. “Nominal” has been the most used word today to describe Day One, and the entire astronomical community is head over heels about it.
JWST also just completed the very crucial first midcourse correction — the first of three and the most important one as it is time critical to accomplish — that fine-tunes Webb’s flight path to L2. The burn lasted 65 minutes and was, you guessed it, nominal.
So for the next 28 days as JWST cruises to L2, you can check in on the mission at the above website. Obviously, if there is “Breaking News” — ugh, perish the thought — WTOP will keep you informed.
Like the song says, “The best is yet to come,” and it will in Summer 2022 when Webb is fully commissioned to start science operations. Ohhh, the things I think we will see and the amazing discoveries to come.
Stay safe and healthy….
If you have any questions, please email me at skyguyinva@gmail.com, or reach out on Twitter.
Follow my daily blog at What’s Up? The Space Place to keep up with the latest news in astronomy and space exploration.
A glimpse of things to come
Today is Christmas for many humans on this planet but, in the history of humanity, this day will be forever known as the day when the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) launched into space.
I think it is fitting that, in 1968, when humanity felt like it was in real trouble — not unlike how 2021 has felt to some — a space first, the Apollo 8 moon mission was able to rescue people’s spirits.
I can only say, from the limited perspective of Twitter and Facebook, that a LOT of people were following JWST’s launch today.
Now that it has successfully launched, there are key milestones that JWST needs to pass on its 28 and a half day, one million mile voyage to L2.
JWST must successfully complete about 300 more single point of failure events to successfully unfold from its launch configuration and reveal its full splendor and capability. So far, all has gone as planned.
This NASA website will give the world updates on what is happening on JWST and where it is in space, so we can all follow its mission to L2.
NASA’s Where is Webb: https://jwst.nasa.gov/content/webbLaunch/whereIsWebb.html
It is incredible that, as I write this, the spacecraft-telescope duo is already well over 80,000 miles from Earth!
Through two telephone interviews today, I got insight on what the world can expect from JWST when the telescope is fully operational and ready to undertake astronomical observations in six months. It will really be amazing and the DMV is REALLY involved.
Dr. Adam Riess — Nobel Laureate, Professor in Space Studies at the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences and astronomer at the Space Telescope Science Institute at Johns Hopkins University
“Webb will look for the first supernovas. But, what they will look like, has been thought about for a long time,” Riess said. “These very first stars to form after the Big Bang will be very strange stars as they will be made out of primordial hydrogen and helium and are expected to be very massive. Will they collapse directly into a black hole or will they explode?”
Dr. Riess has been given 24 hours of observing time on JWST in its Cycle 1 and he “plans on revisiting discoveries made by the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), especially supernovae, to calibrate/check results using JWST.”
When asked what he thought will be Webb’s greatest discovery, here was his response:
“Our best guess is to compare to HST (Hubble Space Telescope). I’d make a ‘Top 10 List’ with 5 choices being from what was expected to be discovered at the time of launch, and the other 5 from what was not. With JWST being 100 times more capable than HST, there are going to be some new discoveries.”
I wanted to know what he would pick as Webb’s “First Light” image to be shared with the public, as it isn’t known at this time and may not be disclosed until it is released (probably) in summer 2022.
Riess’ choice “would be a deep sky object (DSO). Most likely, the famous ‘Hubble Deep Fields’. With Webb’s greater imaging ability, fossils (astronomical objects from the distant past of the universe) will be visible. It will be a thrill to see things popping out of the darkness.”
Dr. Mark Clampin — Director, Sciences & Exploration Directorate, Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC)
“GSFC has been integral to JWST since its inception, as it was where the telescope itself was built. Now that JWST is in space headed for L2, GSFC will work with Ball Aerospace, Northrop Grumman and the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) Mission Operations Center (MOC) preparing the telescope for astronomical observations scheduled to begin Summer 2022. We will be performing the actual focusing of the telescope’s 18 segmented mirrors and getting the four onboard instruments started and tested during the planned six-month commissioning of the telescope.”
I asked Dr. Clampin what observing programs GSFC will be making with JWST.
“We have a number of observing programs and a lot of astronomers who will be observing with JWST. I have been guaranteed observing time and will be observing the TRAPPIST 1e exoplanet, which I chose because it is a rocky planet that is very near the ‘habitable zone’. Observing exoplanets uses the key capabilities of Webb. In 2003 Webb was a cosmology mission, but now exoplanets are going to result in new discoveries.”
What I found fascinating was Dr. Clampin’s description of how astronomers will actually use Webb for their observing runs and the time they are allocated to do astronomical observations with the telescope.
“All of the code for an observing run with Webb has already been worked out and sent to STScI months ago when the Cycle 1 of approved observations was finalized,” Clampin said. “Once the telescope is declared operational, an observing schedule will be made up for the 6,000 hours allocated for this first cycle. The astronomer does nothing as the run is controlled at STScI and GSFC. The astronomer will get an email that has all of their data from the observing run.”
In closing, Dr. Clampin stated, “Goddard is committed to the nation. Today’s great launch was the first step in the journey to L2. Webb will be an exciting journey where we will make discoveries we can’t even imagine now.”
I close this entry on two personal notes.
First and foremost, my four cans of Virginia Launch Day Peanuts did their job in the finest tradition of previous NASA launches as “the candle got lit” — i.e., the planned launch happened.
Secondly, tonight I hope to actually image JWST with my Unistellar telescope, but clouds could make that iffy. You can use their link with your own telescope and we will have another chance to observe when the tennis court sized sunshield deploys.
Our last live blog will be later tonight.
If you have any questions, please email me at skyguyinva@gmail.com, or reach out on Twitter.
Follow my daily blog at What’s Up? The Space Place to keep up with the latest news in astronomy and space exploration.
JWST is on its way to L2!!!!!
Over 30 years have passed since NASA first began its efforts to build the Next Generation Space Telescope as a follow on to the Hubble Space Telescope. $10 billion and many years beyond scheduled completion the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) finally made it to space.
The Ariane 5 launch vehicle did its spectacular and nail biting job of launching the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) into space right on time at 7:20 a.m. EST, Christmas Day 2021. The collective hearts and minds of the 10,000 people who invested their time — an estimated 40 million hours —, energy, anxiety and in some cases their entire careers, rode on that receding plume of fire in the skies of Kourou.
The European Space Agency (ESA) received the first critical signals from the Webb spacecraft shortly after lift off using their space communication system.
Now that JWST is in space there are key milestones that need to take place on its 29 day, one million mile voyage to L2. JWST must successfully complete 344 single point of failure events to successfully unfold from its launch configuration to full splendor and capability.
This NASA website l has gone live to give the world updates on what is happening on JWST and where it is in space so we can all follow the mission to L2.
More later today as I will be interviewing two people about Webb.
THE CANDLE HAS BEEN LIT! ON TO L2!!!
If you have any questions, please email me at skyguyinva@gmail.com, or reach out on Twitter.
Follow my daily blog at What’s Up? The Space Place to keep up with the latest news in astronomy and space exploration.
Countdown continues for 7:20 a.m. launch JWST launch
The Ariane 5 launch vehicle has been fueled and there will be a last systems check of JWST and the Ariane 5 before launch commit.
The countdown clock continues to run for a 7:20 a.m. EST launch for JWST. There is a 32-minute launch window for today’s attempt.
NASA live coverage began at 6 a.m. EST so you should be tuned in now.
Once JWST launches there are key milestones that need to take place on its 29 day, one million mile voyage to L2.
NASA has a new website that will go live after launch to give the world updates on what is happening on JWST and where it is in space so we can all follow the mission.
More later today as I will be interviewing two people about Webb.
LIGHT THAT CANDLE!
If you have any questions, please email me at skyguyinva@gmail.com, or reach out on Twitter.
Follow my daily blog at What’s Up? The Space Place to keep up with the latest news in astronomy and space exploration.
All systems are ‘Go’ for James Webb Telescope launch Christmas morning
This update is short and sweet because the Dec. 25, 32-minute launch window is still GO to open at 7:20 a.m. EST and the countdown clock continues to run! No news is GOOD news….
Here is how you can tune in to watch the launch. NASA coverage begins at 6 a.m. EST.
I am hoping to see JWST with my new Unistellar eVscope 2 after it launches and again when it deploys the tennis court sized sunshield. A truly once in a lifetime experience! You can use this tool to compute an ephemeris for your location and telescope.
My next blog will be tomorrow at 6:30 a.m. EST.
LIGHT THAT CANDLE!
If you have any questions, please email me at skyguyinva@gmail.com, or reach out on Twitter.
Follow my daily blog at What’s Up? The Space Place to keep up with the latest news in astronomy and space exploration.
JWST science, how to watch the launch and launch peanuts
By this time tomorrow if all goes well, James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) will have left Earth and be headed for L2. In a journey of one million miles that will take 29 days, JWST will have to perfectly perform 344 single point of failure events to completely unfold itself to full size. Once at L2 it will take six months for the telescope to cool down to its operating temperature of -388 degrees F and be fully checked out and prepared for science observations to begin.
So what science observations will astronomers do with JWST? Simply put they will use the telescope to go back 13.4 billion years in time to observe the very first stars and galaxies to have formed in the Universe, about 400 million years after the Big Bang. These observations will help humanity to understand how galaxies formed and evolved to present day, including our very own galaxy, the Milky Way.
JWST will observe some of the over 4,000 and counting, planets that exist beyond our solar system — exoplanets. There were no known exoplanets 30 years ago when NASA was considering what it wanted in a follow on telescope to Hubble. Now exoplanets are a very hot topic — literally — as there are so many worlds to explore and each one is unique in what it has to tell us. JWST will be able to actually analyze the surface and/or atmospheres of some of these exoplanets to determine what makes up their structural and chemical compositions. JWST will be able to actually detect chemical elements and molecules that are necessary for life as we know it — carbon, oxygen, methane, and water — to name a few.
Our own solar system will be scrutinized by JWST from the planet Mars all the way out to the realm of the Kuiper belt including comets and asteroids.
Here is the plan for JWST’s first year of science observations.
The December 25th 32-minute launch window is still scheduled to open at 7:20 a.m. EST. Here is how you can tune in to watch the launch.
To give JWST and its team the benefit of a proven launch day good luck charm, I had four cans of Virginia Peanuts
delivered yesterday to the Space Science Institute (STScI). It will be there that the Mission Operations Center (MOC) takes over after launch to oversee JWST for its entire mission.
After 30+ years it is hard to believe we are less than 24 hours away from seeing JWST finally leave Earth. It is going to be a heck of a 29 days to see how it all unfolds — PUN INTENDED!
I plan to be at the MOC when JWST arrives at L2 to see it happen in person.
LIGHT THAT CANDLE!
If you have any questions, please email me at skyguyinva@gmail.com, or reach out on Twitter.
Follow my daily blog at What’s Up? The Space Place to keep up with the latest news in astronomy and space exploration.
James Webb Telescope is on the launchpad
After more than 30 years since NASA began planning the “Next Generation Space Telescope,” the now-named James Webb Space Telescope, or JWST, is on the launchpad, weighing in at exactly 13,583.6 pounds. The Hubble Space Telescope weighs almost twice as much!
The 32-minute launch window on Dec. 25 is still scheduled to open at 7:20 a.m. EST.
As the countdown clock continues to wind down to zero, the NASA-ESA team will stay busy fueling the Ariane 5 rocket and doing final checks on JWST.
On Friday, I’ll talk about a launch day tradition and the science observations JWST is scheduled to conduct in its projected 5- to 10-year lifetime.
If you have any questions, please email me at skyguyinva@gmail.com, or reach out on Twitter.
Follow my daily blog at What’s Up? The Space Place to keep up with the latest news in astronomy and space exploration.
Webb Telescope rolls out to launchpad
This morning, a little before noon local time in Kourou (they are two hours ahead of EST), the massive doors of the Final Assembly Building in Kourou opened revealing the “Stack” of JWST and its Ariane 5 rocket. Shortly afterward the duo will start JWST’s last planned movement on the surface of the Earth. It will be a 100 minute trip to the launchpad.
If all goes well, next up is its 1-million mile through space to its final orbit at a place called L2.
The December 25th 32-minute launch window opens at 7:20 a.m. EST.
Here’s a fascinating article on 10 facts about JWST from my friend astrophysicist Ethan Siegel which you will find very interesting.
If you have any questions, please email me at skyguyinva@gmail.com, or reach out on Twitter.
Follow my daily blog at What’s Up? The Space Place to keep up with the latest news in astronomy and space exploration.
It’s a go (again): Dec. 25 launch date is set
NASA and its European Space Agency partner got another weather forecast Wednesday, and all systems are go for Dec. 25. The Ariane 5 launch vehicle and Webb will roll out to the launchpad from the Final Assembly Building in Kourou on the morning of Dec. 23.
The Dec. 25 32-minute launch window opens at 7:20 a.m. EST.
Did you know that NASA and ESA have to monitor another type of weather before and after the launch of not only JWST, but every craft launched into space? Space weather is caused by the activity of our star, the Sun, and it can have a profound effect here on Earth and throughout the solar system.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration monitors space weather, as do NASA and other space organizations. Before JWST can launch, it has to get the all-clear from Yaireska Collado-Vega, space weather scientist and director of the Moon-to-Mars Space Weather Analysis Office at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, in Greenbelt, Maryland. So the space weather is also a go for launch!
If you have any questions, please email me at skyguyinva@gmail.com, or reach out on Twitter.
Follow my daily blog at What’s Up? The Space Place to keep up with the latest news in astronomy and space exploration.
How does the Webb Telescope compare to the Hubble?
While NASA and its European Space Agency partner wait for another weather forecast to assess whether the launch date of Dec. 25 will hold up, the Ariane 5 launch vehicle and Webb are in stable and safe conditions in the Final Assembly Building in Kourou.
On Tuesday, Dr. Amber Straughn, Webb deputy project scientist for communications at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, said that in the initial design stages of the Webb telescope, the two main parameters were “Big and Cold.” For Webb to observe the very first galaxies and stars to form after the Big Bang and other objects in infrared light, its mirror had to be big and the telescope very cold.
You need a big mirror to collect the faint and feeble light from 13.5 billion years ago, and the telescope has to be extremely cold, so any source of heat does not overwhelm the very faint cosmic light. JWST certainly met this design criteria. This JWST fact sheet is a handy reference for facts about Webb; click on the “Major Innovations” links at the bottom of the page to read about the technology.
You can check out the “nuts and bolts” of JWST at ESA and NASA.
Curious about the size of JWST compared to the HST? Here’s a good comparison between the two and a fact sheet giving specifications.
I’ll update later today after the planned weather update.
On a side note, due to COVID-19, the Space Telescope Science Institute, which will control JWST, just announced they have gone to an entirely virtual format for the media.
If you have any questions, please email me at skyguyinva@gmail.com, or reach out on Twitter.
Follow my daily blog at What’s Up? The Space Place to keep up with the latest news in astronomy and space exploration.
OK not so fast — launch delayed to Christmas Day
NASA and its European Space Agency partner just announced via a post on the NASA website that due to “adverse weather conditions” Webb will now launch Dec. 25 “as early as possible within the following launch window: Between 7:20 a.m. and 7:52 a.m. Washington” (time).
The website also says, “Tomorrow evening, another weather forecast will be issued in order to confirm the date of December 25. The Ariane 5 launch vehicle and Webb are in stable and safe conditions in the Final Assembly Building.”
If you have any questions, please email me at skyguyinva@gmail.com, or reach out on Twitter.
Follow my daily blog at What’s Up? The Space Place to keep up with the latest news in astronomy and space exploration.
Christmas Eve launch is a go
NASA and its European Space Agency partner held a teleconference Tuesday on the James Webb Space Telescope. JWST is safely ensconced in its payload fairing, atop the ESA Ariane 5 rocket that will take it to low earth orbit.
After a lengthy Launch Readiness Review Tuesday morning by NASA and ESA, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson declared JWST is “GO for December 24th” at 7:20 a.m. EST.
Nelson called the telescope “a risky endeavor (due to its complexity), but if you want a big reward you need to take a big risk.”
He said the telescope would provide insight on “13 and a half billion years of cosmic history, our solar system, most distant galaxies and everything in between, the first galaxies to form after the Big Bang, exoplanets and the birth of stellar systems. We will discover what we don’t know yet — our Universe and our place in it. Why are we here? Webb is the keyhole into the past, a groundbreaker.”
If weather at Kourou, French Guiana, precludes launch, it can roll back on three consecutive days. JWST can launch on any day before 2021 ends, said Jérôme Rives, vice president of the Ariane 5 Business Unit, based in Paris. Next up — the rollout of “the stack” (JWST and the Ariane 5) to the launchpad.
I will be updating this blog regularly so please check back for the very latest. Due to the Omicron outbreak I could not attend the JWST Media Event in person, as I had intended to following my approval by the Space Telescope Science Center to do so. Instead I will be participating virtually via scheduled virtual events for media and conducting interviews via Zoom/Skype/email.
If you have any questions, please email me at skyguyinva@gmail.com, or reach out on Twitter.
Follow my daily blog at What’s Up? The Space Place to keep up with the latest news in astronomy and space exploration.
