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I guess the Arianne 5 is fairly reliable, so maybe it will go on time. I've never looked at its reliability numbers. It wasn't the booster's fault that its been delayed this long.

Or... "...no *further* delays".

This thing is so far behind schedule and so much over budget I'm surprised NASA even still talks about it. I certainly hope it works well as a replacement for Hubble. It will be a fantastic instrument hopefully for decades to come. But I suspect James Webb would turn multiple flips in his grave if he knew how badly this one has been mis-managed.

Original Budget: $500 million
Final Budget: $9.7 billion

Original Launch Date: 2007
Hopeful Date: 2021

Earl

Thanks for posting that. I was not aware of that effort.

While I don’t agree with whatever past discriminatory policies that may have been pursued all those years ago, it was a different time and place. Stances against alternate lifestyles were a part of the fabric of the country, be those stances wrong or right.

No one’s past is perfect and if we continue some of these lines of reasoning and ‘convicting’ people long after their time in this earth, then there will be very few who will pass muster for having even the local dog pound named after them.

If we follow that same line of reasowning, then since Webb reported to President Johnson (who ALSO apparently did nothing to stop some of those things), then they’ll need to rename the Johnson Space Center. Where does it stop??

And if they keep digging they will probably find that both Webb and Johnson pooped their diapers as babies!! :eek: :eek: :rolleyes:

(Mind you, not ‘chastising’ you for the stance of the article. :) )

Earl

Another A$ININE cost over-run.
If I went into my mgmt's office and said "aw, geez; the project is going to cost EIGHTEEN times the original budget" I would be shown the DOOR with a large boot in my butt.
That is the CORRECT response to this sort of garbage.
UNACCEPTABLE for any reason.

I suspect the biggest cause of delay and cost overrun on JWST is the deployable, 6.5-meter primary mirror. They not only had to design and build it, they had to develop the technology first, THEN come up with a design, THEN build and test it. Deployable optics - of the accuracy needed for a space telescope - are tough to do. But, I agree the overrun is appalling.

Surprised nobody commented on the use of Ariane 5 as the launcher, especially since US policy remains "US Government-owned payloads will be launched on US vehicles." The escape clause, however, is the USG can use a foreign LV if the launch is provided at no cost. ESA wanted to "play" in the JWST program, and their contribution is the "free" Ariane V.

The "US vehicles only" policy is also why RocketLab isn't a New Zealand company, it's a US company from Long Beach, CA (wink, wink).

I TOTALLY agree with US payloads must be launched atop US vehicle policy.
Same for fighter aircraft. Not USA= NO SALE.
Sick and tired of foreign intrusion into products that should be manufactured here.
And NO Toyota does not count no matter where the plant is.

The GloBULL "economy" is the #1 factor responsible for the erosion of the middle class.
Having a "living wage" middle class job should NOT be difficult.

So what kind of motorcycle would you buy?


Bill

For the uninformed, Harleys have a crap load of Japanese made parts in them. ;)

I got back from Goddard Space Flight Center today. Yesterday, after I'd fixed their machine, my host gave me a tour of the building where the JWST was built. Amazing stuff to see! I'll dump and post the photos this weekend if there's interest.