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I'm unsure why this is being downvoted. I think it's a completely fair assessment given what happened with Hubble. At that time we had the Shuttle to head up an

I'm unsure why this is being downvoted. I think it's a completely fair assessment given what happened with Hubble. At that time we had the Shuttle to head up and actually fix things that were broken. I have doubts that SLS is going to be as quick as they want it to be, and crewed Dragon isn't operational yet either. By the time this thing launches we might see trials of both, but certainly there won't be something readily available for service operations on the JWT at the time it launches.

icegreentea2 8y ago
JWT is suppose to be at Earth-Solar L2 Lagrange point. Anything that's not a failure in the initial earth orbit would require a repair mission that involves sending astronauts further than we've ever sent them (Earth-Solar L2 is significantly beyond lunar orbit).
- JesseObrien 8y ago
  Indeed! At minimum we would need the Mars Dragon or Orion with a long range trunk attached to carry supplies and repair pieces. It would be really interesting to see an orbital pairing (a-la the Lunar Module/Command Module) for an L2 repair mission.
- nerfhammer 8y ago
  L2 is about 4 times further away than the Moon, to be precise.
- drag0nballz 8y ago
  Also, it's not being made to be serviceable.
  - batbomb 8y ago
    That was a feature after HST.
mulmen 8y ago
"What Would Elon Musk Do" is a tiresome theme. Mostly because the guy is a total anomaly. He and his company have accomplished a lot but that does not mean NASA is wrong for running space programs the way they run them. This stuff is complicated, NASA doesn't always get it right but that doesn't mean they need to reinvent themselves in the image of a technocelebrity.
- azernik 8y ago
  With regards to SLS, I do trust the NASA professionals; they originally argued against the system, and then were forced by direct Congressional mandate (pushed forward by representatives of places building the hardware) to develop the thing anyway.
- valuearb 8y ago
  Appeal to authority is a dumb argument, whether Musk or NASA fans are using it.
aphextron 8y ago
>By the time this thing launches we might see trials of both, but certainly there won't be something readily available for service operations on the JWT at the time it launches. Servicing the JWST with astronauts like we did with Hubble will be impossible, as it will be parked in one of earth's L2 points, not in LEO. Basically, everything has to work absolutely flawlessly on the first try, or that's it. Billions of dollars and decades of work gone.

icegreentea2 8y ago

JWT is suppose to be at Earth-Solar L2 Lagrange point. Anything that's not a failure in the initial earth orbit would require a repair mission that involves sending astronauts further than we've ever sent them (Earth-Solar L2 is significantly beyond lunar orbit).

JesseObrien 8y ago
Indeed! At minimum we would need the Mars Dragon or Orion with a long range trunk attached to carry supplies and repair pieces. It would be really interesting to see an orbital pairing (a-la the Lunar Module/Command Module) for an L2 repair mission.
nerfhammer 8y ago
L2 is about 4 times further away than the Moon, to be precise.
drag0nballz 8y ago
Also, it's not being made to be serviceable.
- batbomb 8y ago
  That was a feature after HST.

mulmen 8y ago

"What Would Elon Musk Do" is a tiresome theme. Mostly because the guy is a total anomaly. He and his company have accomplished a lot but that does not mean NASA is wrong for running space programs the way they run them. This stuff is complicated, NASA doesn't always get it right but that doesn't mean they need to reinvent themselves in the image of a technocelebrity.

azernik 8y ago
With regards to SLS, I do trust the NASA professionals; they originally argued against the system, and then were forced by direct Congressional mandate (pushed forward by representatives of places building the hardware) to develop the thing anyway.
valuearb 8y ago
Appeal to authority is a dumb argument, whether Musk or NASA fans are using it.

aphextron 8y ago

>By the time this thing launches we might see trials of both, but certainly there won't be something readily available for service operations on the JWT at the time it launches. Servicing the JWST with astronauts like we did with Hubble will be impossible, as it will be parked in one of earth's L2 points, not in LEO. Basically, everything has to work absolutely flawlessly on the first try, or that's it. Billions of dollars and decades of work gone.