Monday, December 13, 2021
Build-up
Publicity and hype are building for the James Webb Space Telescope due to launch in days. Predictions for its sensitivity and resolution are off the charts. Its managers say they are 100 percent confident it will unfurl in deep space and work. They are downplaying -- or not mentioning at all -- the chances that the rocket carrying the package might not make it into orbit or reach the point in space where the scope will float. It has been some time since a rocket has failed but that doesn't mean it won't. It has been no time since the scope has failed to unfold in the vacuum and there will be few second chances if it doesn't beyond shaking and turning it to jar things loose. The instrument is billions of dollars over budget and years late. It has been tested, retested and vetted again and again to make sure it works. Still... One remembers the Hubble when it reached space and was out of focus until a service mission repaired it. As a publicist, I would be cautious about flacking it until it reaches first light.
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