And[QUOTE]In another bit of good news Monday, officials said they expect Webb to last well beyond the originally anticipated 10 years based on its fuel efficiency.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=kriesel;597074]And[/QUOTE]
They probably suspected this already but couldn't commit.

[QUOTE=henryzz;597079]They probably suspected this already but couldn't commit.[/QUOTE]Under-promise and over-deliver.

It sure would be embarrassing if after all these longevity predictions the heat shield rips, or the secondary mirror jams, or a meteorite strikes the transmitter.

[QUOTE=retina;597081]Under-promise and over-deliver..[/QUOTE]


Probably some of that.

However, I did read that it depended on how good that launch was, as precious fuel might have to be used to achieve an acceptable trajectory. A few days after the launch, technicians monitoring the flight path were ecstatic at how well the launch went. Not only was it spot on course but the Ariane delivered superb boost.

Great job, Ariane !

[QUOTE=tServo;597099]<snip>
A few days after the launch, technicians monitoring the flight path were ecstatic at how well the launch went. Not only was it spot on course but the Ariane delivered superb boost.
<snip>[/QUOTE]Back in the day, when live TV coverage of space launches was thorough, Mission Control engineers monitoring a launch would be heard saying things like "Trajectory (or flight trajectory, or flight path) is [i][b]nominal[/b][/i]."

Thus, a new use for an old word was born.

The word "nominal" has long meant (among other things) a figure given in a specification (particularly in manufacturing) like a weight or dimension. The "nominal" is what's in the plan. Of course, actual manufactured items rarely conform precisely to nominal specifications.

When a NASA flight controller described some aspect of a flight as "nominal," it meant that it was actually going according to plan, or at least close enough not to require any correction.

[url]https://twitter.com/NASAWebb/status/1478412564983959553[/url]


[code]
[URL="https://twitter.com/NASAWebb"]NASA Webb Telescope

[/URL][URL="https://twitter.com/NASAWebb"]@NASAWebb
[/URL]·
[URL="https://twitter.com/NASAWebb/status/1478412564983959553"]50 min[/URL]
This is it: we’ve just wrapped up one of the most challenging steps of our journey
to [URL="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UnfoldTheUniverse?src=hashtag_click"]#UnfoldTheUniverse[/URL]. With all five layers of sunshield tensioning complete, about
75% of our 344 single-point failures have been retired!
[/code]

[QUOTE=tServo;596386]My favorite way to keep track of the status of Webb is one of NASA's pages seen below. It has all kinds of neat stuff on it like distance counters, a timeline of the steps it has done/yet to do, and links to animations of what it is doing or about to do.
Check it out!


[URL]https://webb.nasa.gov/content/webbLaunch/whereIsWebb.html[/URL][/QUOTE]


Thank you, now we are addicted to it. Also this encouraged me to look to where the Voyagers are, stats, etc

xkcd

[XKCD]2564[/XKCD]

[QUOTE=firejuggler;597206]xkcd

[XKCD]2564[/XKCD][/QUOTE]Now just wait ~28 billion years for the portrait to be available here.

[QUOTE=kriesel;597226]Now just wait ~28 billion years for the portrait to be available here.[/QUOTE]

I actually almost fell out of my chair laughing when I saw firejuggler's link! Thanks; I needed that! I'm going to send it to some friends of mine tonight, after our collective workdays are finished. :smile:

What to me is the most amusing about the idea is I have personally observed many people with really high-end cameras (and built-in super-computers) in their hands trying to take a photo of something they find interesting at night.

But the device is misconfigured and so the flash goes off...

[QUOTE=chalsall;597236]But the device is misconfigured and so the flash goes off...[/QUOTE]This can produce some interesting effects in the right circumstances. I have a photo from long ago, of a sunrise, taken in a familiar woods, with flash, which makes the photo seem 3-D with nearest twigs and branches highlighted. The hypothetical xkcd "snapshot" would be a record longest time lapse photo. The trick is keeping the camera still; compared to what?