Optimus Prime introduces the James Webb Telescope, Roll Out!

[Yminale]

Ok it's actually the voice of Optimus Prime. Still..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1m68NSaTYs

 

[gturner]

They'd better roll it back in before it rains, because it's not due for launch till 2018 (on an Ariane 5 because NASA doesn't have a rocket that can launch it). It has also cost $8.8 billion, far from the 1998 planned cost of $1 billion with a 2007 launch date.

 

[Mark_Nguyen]

Hah, that's cool. His voice starts off relatively normal, but by the end of the clip it sounds about halfway to Prime.

And I'm also awaiting the launch of this thing, over budget and late as it is. There's only so far Hubble has been able to stretch, and this thing is risky as hell because there's no fixing it should it break or malfunction on the way there. I understand that it only LOOKS flimsy, but the way it's designed does not inspire confidence like the rock-solid looks of various spacecraft that came before.

Mark

 

[gturner]

What could possibly go wrong?

Oh wait. I see.

 

[publiusr]

It has as many moving parts as a transformer. That's why I favor ATLAST's monolithic approach.

 

[DEWLine]

Further building on the work of Hubble, HIPPARCOS, GAIA and Kepler...this should be cool. And I see why they got Cullen to promote this. ;-)