Spot the Space Station

[Pkrd]

So far so good.

Given this is 2021 and everything sucks, I can't see this working out.
I'm guessing it will deploy perfectly and then get destroyed by a rogue interplanetary tesla that someone misplaced.

Anyhoo... Here's a pic of a horse from my back year last night. Canon DSLR, 1s, 250mm zoom.

 

[MaxStout]

Track the progress of the Webb telescope.

 

[day_trippr]

Things are proceeding apace. They have both terminating arms of the solar shield deployed, and today they jacked up the central mast components to provide room to deploy the shield. Very exciting!

 

[day_trippr]

So....anyone who was paying attention knew that the storyline sold on Sunday of the team "taking a break" was a total pant load, but we had to hold our collective breaths for a day to find out what actually was happening: reactions to unexpected issues, mostly to do with heat management of the tensioning motors for the solar shield and the power system that activates them.

But...they apparently got things squared away, and we should expect the tensioning of the five layers of the mostly-deployed shield to proceed any time now.
Phew...

 

[Pkrd]

There's some tension right there.

 

[day_trippr]

Seriously.

As of a couple hours ago they have 3 of 5 solar shield layers taut...
https://blogs.nasa.gov/webb/2022/01/03/second-and-third-layers-of-sunshield-fully-tightened/
Looking good!

 

[Konadog]

I was amazed that both mid booms extended without issues, and now the solar shields. So many cables and pulleys to go wrong!

 

[day_trippr]

It really is crazy.
Just the closures that held the stowed solar shield wrapping had over 100 actuators to "unzip" it and a bunch more stuff to get it out of the way to allow the shield to deploy...

 

[MaxStout]

Don't look up.

 

[passedpawn]

Don't look up.

Cool!

 

[MaxStout]

Might need to break these out again. Be safe, wear your helmet.

I see the map in the article labeled the Atlantic Ocean as "Sargasso Sea." Maybe the debris will land there and be devoured by seaweed. Go Bermuda Triangle!

 

[day_trippr]

All five layers of sun shield stretched out and secured!

"The unfolding and tensioning of the sunshield involved 139 of Webb’s 178 release mechanisms, 70 hinge assemblies, eight deployment motors, roughly 400 pulleys, and 90 individual cables totaling roughly one quarter of a mile in length."

Woof!

Next will be the secondary mirror deployment, then the radiator system final positioning, then they'll start unfolding the primary mirror wings...

Cheers!

 

[Konadog]

Another good day in space!


Mission controllers are ticking off the final major deployments needed to set up the new James Webb Space Telescope.
Wednesday saw the observatory's secondary mirror locked into position on the end of three 8m-long booms.
It sets the stage for the all-important unpacking of Webb's giant primary mirror - the biggest reflecting surface ever sent into orbit.

Next up for Webb is the main mirror itself. Its deployment should occur over the next couple of days.

 

[day_trippr]

One wing done!

https://www.space.com/james-webb-space-telescope-1st-primary-mirror-deploy

 

[Konadog]

I was just reading that. Seems everything so far is working the way they want. Let's hope it continues!

 

[day_trippr]

I know. It's scary. If this was a Hollywood production, right about now the background music would turn ominous

 

[Konadog]

Not quite yet, still have to make sure all 144 actuators used to focus that beast work after the next section of mirrors opens. Then que the music!

 

[Pkrd]

Perfect viewing for starlink tonight. Incredible sight to see.

 

[day_trippr]

Mirror wings are both fully deployed!

 

[Konadog]

Individual Mirror Segment Movements
Actuator testing and individual mirror segment deployments


The primary mirror wings are now fully deployed and latched into place, but the individual mirror segments remain in their launch configuration. This operation is a multi-day, multi-step activity to activate and move each of the 18 primary mirror segments and the secondary mirror from their stowed launch configuration to a deployed position ready for alignment.


The 18 primary mirror segments and secondary mirror are adjustable via six actuators that are attached to the back of each mirror. The primary mirror segments also have an additional actuator at its center that adjusts its curvature. The telescope's tertiary mirror remains stationary. The primary and secondary mirror segments will move a total of 12.5mm, in small increments, over the course of ~10 days to complete each segment's deployment.


After all individual mirror segment deployments are completed, the detailed optical mirror alignment process begins which is about a 3 month process. In parallel, as temperatures cool enough, instrument teams will turn on their instruments and begin each instrument's commissioning process.

 

[day_trippr]

Right - they literally have only computer modeling to rely on that when the mirror segments have reached a stable, equilibrium temperature they can align all of the segments to provide a max strength coherent IR image. Woof...

 

[Konadog]

About the time everything is aligned and calibrated 6 months from now, some space bug is going to splatter across that thing.

 

[day_trippr]

A brilliantly clear cold day here transitioned to an equally cloudless dusk allowing an extended ISS sighting along with the latest string of Starlink satellites reaching around 60° and another two other random orbiters sighted in between. Pretty neat!

 

[Konadog]

The best animation of the James Webb Telescope orbit I found that made sense to me.




I am still amazed that everything so far has worked the way they said it would.

 

[Pkrd]

Great view of starlink tonight.

 

[day_trippr]

I've only seen two strings of freshly launched Starlink sats pass overhead but both times it made my hair stand up it was so silently spooky looking

Today's SpaceX launch has some exceptional footage showing MECO, stage separation, MVAC 2nd stage burn and the booster flip-over and boost-back burn and a stunning landing. I don't recall seeing a launch with such clarity at MECO before...



Cheers!

 

[day_trippr]

There's a handful of reasons why the JWST did not include an actual "selfie-cam", but apparently there is a technical imager intended to aid in the lens segment alignment process that the operators were able to grab a rather spooky image from...

https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/11/world/james-webb-space-telescope-selfie-images-scn/index.html

 

[Pkrd]

Video here:

 

[day_trippr]

Things are looking sharp on the JWST!

 

[Pkrd]

Just aligning my Newtonian does my head in.

Here's where JWST is at...