Why NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope is such a fiscal black hole

The Hill ^ | 4/12/18 | Mark Whittington

[al baby]

Yes it has a yuge aperture

[raiderboy]

This is a waste of tax dollars. All this is futile. There is nothing out there. We could build the wall we so desperately need in this nation rather than fiddle with make work for egg head “scientists”. Do you know what is after infinity? More infinity.

[ETL]

[Governor Dinwiddie]

#2: "Where are all of NASA’s rocket scientists?"

They've been reassigned to study "global warming". Seriously.
 

[pepsi_junkie]

Nasa wasted 25 years on exploring near earth orbits with the Space Shuttle. Basically they said “the moon was cool but let’s set out sights waaaay lower” and get stuck in a rut. Now they have just one major mission yet again: build a bigger, better hubbel. I hope someone at least checks the math this time, there won’t be a space shuttle available to send up and fix the lens.

[Governor Dinwiddie]

#3: "Is this the Webb Hubbell telescope?"

No, it's its offspring:

[pepsi_junkie]

What did the taxpayers get for all the billions and billions spent on the Hubbel telescope, "International" Space Station or the biggest boondoggle - the Space Shuttle?

Personally I think that a space telescope sounds like a perfect venture for a bunch of academic institutions to crack open their giant multi-billion dollar endowments and fund together. They would then share exclusive access to the telescope for use in their own research. Better than taxpayers funding all their research.

[buffaloguy]

About 20 ft aperture. A real monster.

It might be servicable using robots at some point.

[Telepathic Intruder]

I think the Hubble telescope was a great success. I’m not a fan of the ISS or shuttle programs, however. The ISS is parked in a useless orbit, and is only good as a micro gravity laboratory. It doesn’t even need windows, although it has one or two. The shuttle was merely a space truck for hauling things back and forth from the ISS, or an occasional communications satellite. It had nothing to do with space exploration, like the previous programs.

[oh8eleven]

academic institutions to crack open their giant multi-billion dollar endowments
Right on.

[Terry L Smith]

dear paladin,

re: “Where are all of NASA’s rocket scientists?”

They WERE sent out among the lands under the orders of ‘the magic Negro’ to go ye forth and recruit mohammedan scientists.

I believe they all met up with ISIS-types instead.
Oh well.

[WayneS]

A telescope in a black hole... ...and they talk about it like its a bad thing.

Wouldn’t it be the greatest astronomic achievement in the history of mankind?

;-)

[onedoug]

Well met!

[Phlyer]

Their minion gofers took over and being bureaucrats . . .

One of the key changes since Apollo (which was successful) is that NASA has taken over many of the tasks previously done by contractors. And NASA bureaucrats make bad managers. A key part of that is contractors who overran that much would lose their jobs (even if the contract continued) while NASA bureaucrats just keep pouring money into something until it is cancelled entirely.

If they really want space projects to succeed, they need to keep NASA out of it until the hardware is checked out and working in space. Let the scientists/bureaucrats analyze the data with help from other scientists/bureaucrats in academia, but don't let them near any hardware or hardware decisions.

[TexasTransplant]

Hubble Ultra Deep is screen saver (or whatever they call it these days)
I can actually look at it and be amazed every single time

[PAR35]

Where are all of NASA’s rocket scientists?

The original requirement was that they had to work for 25 years, then all would be forgiven. Then, of course, they started making noises about war crimes, and some of them decided to give up their US citizenship and return to Germany.

Of course, old age has claimed most of them by this point.

[minnesota_bound]

Extremely Large Telescope. Complete in 2024 on Earth. 3rd planet from the Sun. 1,560 inches or 130 feet diameter equivalent size mirror. Focal length‎: ‎743.4 m or 2,439 ft 0 in It has around 256 times the light gathering area of the Hubble Space Telescope and, according to the ELT's specifications, would provide images 16 times sharper than those from Hubble. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extremely_Large_Telescope

[Chickensoup]

who is James Web and why does he have a telescope?

[Lurker]

“Relax, it will be well worth it. ”

Then blow the dust off your own checkbook. This country is carrying 20 TRILLION dollars in debt.

L

[Fightin Whitey]

who is James Web?

Guy with a fistula and a black hole.