For some context around what makes this deployment so remarkable, watch this[0] video that talks about the engineering/building aspects of the James Webb
[0] https://youtu.be/aICaAEXDJQQ
James Webb is fully deployed
51–60 of 522 posts
Re: James Webb is fully deployed
#52Earlier quoted context omitted.
>344 single points of failure How can a system have more that one single point of failure?
If you're in a car being held above the ground by a chain, every single link is a potential single-point of failure.
A system may be implemted as a set of cooperating microservices each one being a (single) point if failure of the entire system.
Re: James Webb is fully deployed
#53Earlier quoted context omitted.
Even earlier than galaxies, we'll be able to see some of the first stars that existed before galaxies formed. IIRC the telescope will be able to see "back" into 98% of the observable universe.
Yup! If the universe's age were a single year, we're looking back to January 6th. Truly remarkable. :)
what prevents us from seeing back any further?
Re: James Webb is fully deployed
#54Earlier quoted context omitted.
If you're in a car being held above the ground by a chain, every single link is a potential single-point of failure.
But the chain itself can be considered as one component and it becomes a single point of failure. Or if we go in the opposite direction, then we can breakdown links and say "Every single grain boundary is a single point of failure".
Each link in the chain is itself manufactured/created/constructed. If the weld is bad, the link may fail. "every grain boundary" is not formed in the same way each link is. The analogy is solid - actually, it's very good in that it conveys clearly and succinctly the concept the parent was asking about without introducing extraneous concepts. Very much in the flavour of EWD: "The purpose of abstraction is not to be vague, but to create a new semantic level in which one can be absolutely precise."
Re: James Webb is fully deployed
#55Earlier quoted context omitted.
If you're in a car being held above the ground by a chain, every single link is a potential single-point of failure.
But the chain itself can be considered as one component and it becomes a single point of failure. Or if we go in the opposite direction, then we can breakdown links and say "Every single grain boundary is a single point of failure".
Another example is a small single engine airplane. The engine can be considered a single point of failure but if you zoom in it’s a complex system with many redundant components (multiple cylinders, multiple spark plugs per cylinder, etc.)
Re: James Webb is fully deployed
#56For some context around what makes this deployment so remarkable, watch this[0] video that talks about the engineering/building aspects of the James Webb [0] https://youtu.be/aICaAEXDJQQ
Thanks for the link. I am interested in knowing more about the organization behind that project: how many people took care of the deployment, how are they organized, how has quality control been done.
https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2021-12-25/james-webb... gives some info but not an in-depth view of how things work at the NASA.
Re: James Webb is fully deployed
#57For those not up on the project, what are some of the earliest novel types of information we expect to receive from it?
One of the more interesting things that we'll get is data about what's in the atmosphere of exoplanets https://jwst.nasa.gov/content/science/origins.html Note that the next 5 months or so will consist of mirror cooling and calibration, so nothing until summer.
This will only work for a handful of very nearby exoplanets, unfortunately.
Re: James Webb is fully deployed
#58I've never been one for being hyped about telescopes, but I am particularly excited about the images that this one will come up with.
Re: James Webb is fully deployed
#59Earlier quoted context omitted.
Yup! If the universe's age were a single year, we're looking back to January 6th. Truly remarkable. :)
what prevents us from seeing back any further?
Redshift and mirror diameter. There is very little old light, so to see further, you have to collect more light to have a chance of catching those ancient photons. Also, due to expansion of space, the older the photon, the less energy it has, so you have to look deeper and deeper into infrared.
Re: James Webb is fully deployed
#60Amazing feat of engineering. NASA can be proud of achieving something that no other space agency could do. It took courage to keep shovelling money and effort into this project and some amazing science to get it deployed into space.