Hopefully we'll get an early Christmas present with the launch of the James Webb space telescope, which if it unfolds right will make Hubble look like a dirty coke bottle. Building Webb cost $9B, or about half the price of the relaxed-fit remake of the Apollo capsule called Orion
https://twitter.com/planet4589/status/1463961797334126598
The challenge with the Webb is keeping the sensors really cold despite being in full sunlight. I love the solution NASA chose, because it is extremely carefully designed but looks like something you'd throw together in a panic the night before the middle school science fair 
Two exciting things about the Webb are:
1. The mirror is YUGE
2. Unlike Hubble it sees in infrared, which means we can look at really distant stuff that is redshifted, or at nearby things in wavelengths that the Earth's atmosphere absorbs. Plus the design will attract space bees
1. The mirror is YUGE
2. Unlike Hubble it sees in infrared, which means we can look at really distant stuff that is redshifted, or at nearby things in wavelengths that the Earth's atmosphere absorbs. Plus the design will attract space bees
Hopefully they didn't put in the mirror measuring rod backwards like they did with Hubble, because this telescope is a lot harder to go fix apnews.com/article/a080cf…
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
