SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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And today's Starlink launch was successful as was the booster landing. Ninth flight for that booster.
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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And a new Scott Manley video as a follow-on to yesterday's announcement by Rocket Lab:

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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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From XKCD:
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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Starship to stand on the shoulders of Saturn V and Shuttle at 39A
Elon Musk has confirmed Starship will add another chapter in Launch Complex 39A’s incredible history at the Kennedy Space Center.

Although plans have always involved the Kennedy Space Center (KSC), early work on a pad for Starship at 39A has been mothballed since 2019, as SpaceX placed its entire focus on Starbase in Texas. However, with one tweet, Musk confirmed construction work has returned to 39A for the rocket that is set to land humans on the lunar surface decades after Apollo 11 launched from the same launch site.

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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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SpinLaunch:

It's almost as if people are the problem.
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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I got new names for them.....

1. Spinshot
2. Spinfusior
3. Slingshot
4.SpinDyne
5. Spinfusor
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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News on Artemis, Artemis 1 launch attempt constraints, rocket readiness slips to mid-February 2022
When NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems (EGS) program and prime processing contractor Jacobs have configured the Artemis 1 Space Launch System (SLS) vehicle for launch day, they expect to have one-week periods to get the mission to the Moon off the ground. Between propellant consumption of the two liquid SLS stages and a 20-day long period where the range safety system is validated for use, up to three attempts could be conducted to tank the vehicle and launch within that week’s time before teams would have to stand down.

EGS, Jacobs, and the Orion and SLS teams are continuing testing and checkout of the vehicle, but the latest projections for the first rollout to Launch Pad 39B have moved from late-December 2021 to mid-January 2022. Meanwhile, engineers are also troubleshooting a problem with a controller for one of the four RS-25 engines in the SLS Core Stage. The nature of the problem and the path to a resolution are still unknown and will need to be factored in, but current forecasts for when the vehicle will be ready to launch have moved from the end of January to mid-February.
Nice graphic on Artemis I mission:
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Meanwhile, at LC-39 Pad B, a new LH2 storage tank is being built, as seen below. The older tank is still to be used. By the way, that's my old job location, the LH2 storage areas on both Pads A and B. The one on Pad A is now going to be used for liquid methane for SpaceX I understand.
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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Part of the Psyche mission involves training seminars for folks to learn about different aspects and subsystems involved in the mission. I recognized the person who's presenting the Telecom subsystem in an upcoming session as a former intern at APL. She was working on data from the MESSENGER mission 7 years ago, then went off and joined JPL. Small world.
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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From my local 24 hour news channel, Roscosmos announces possible first Russian cosmonaut to fly aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon
As the Russian space agency Roscosmos competed the successful arrival of two space tourists to the International Space Station on Wednesday, it announced more news of an upcoming mission.

Taking to Twitter, Dr. Dmitry Rogozin, the Director General of Roscosmos, announced that Anna Kikina, the only active female cosmonaut in Russia’s space program, may be flying aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon in fall 2022.

"Our cosmonaut Anna Kikina will presumably go on a space mission in 2022. We believe that she may take a seat aboard the US spacecraft, while we in turn will put a US astronaut in space by our Soyuz under an exchange program," Rogozin said in a statement.

This mission would mark the first time a Russian cosmonaut would fly aboard a U.S. spacecraft in the commercial crew era of NASA. Back in October, Rogozin said that SpaceX had “gained sufficient experience for representatives of our crews to make flights aboard its spacecraft.”

"Our charming space lady will have the honor to inaugurate our space exchange flights program," he said.

The Crew-5 mission would also be the first spaceflight for Kikina. Back in March, Roscosmos announced a partnership with Mattel to create a Barbie doll version of the cosmonaut as part of the Dream Gap Project.

“As a child, I had no dream of becoming an astronaut. But if I had a Barbie astronaut doll, then the idea of ​​becoming an astronaut would probably have arisen in my head even then,” Kikina told the agency.
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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Inverse
A new photo posted this week by the European Space Agency doesn’t exactly show the James Webb Telescope itself — instead, it shows a box encasing the Webb as it heads toward a new building for the final stages of its assembly. The Webb appears to have made the trip in the dead of night.

The final assembly building is the place where the telescope will be placed atop an Ariane 5 rocket — the same rocket which will take it a million miles past Earth.

The 50,000-pound container in the picture was custom built for Webb. Next, the telescope will be unboxed and elevated to a high platform that will place it on the Ariane upper stage. In the next week, a special faring will be wrapped around the telescope after it and the Ariane 5 become one. Then, one day before launch, the rocket is slated to be rolled out to its rocket pad — and that should be it.

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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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Why is it using Ariane instead of Falcon? Is it safer or something?
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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Daehawk wrote: Mon Dec 13, 2021 10:33 am Why is it using Ariane instead of Falcon? Is it safer or something?
From what I've read, it's a combination of factors:
  1. The Ariane launch vehicle is part of the ESA contribution to the project.
  2. The ESA launch site in French Guiana is better suited to the mission.
  3. The telescope just doesn't fit in the Falcon payload faring.
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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Hmm. Must have been made for Ariane from the start then.
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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With James Webb's launch finally (FINALLY) [FINALLY] coming up in a single-digit number of days, Dr. Becky has a nice explainer on some specific reasons why JW is so much better than Hubble.



PS- Dr. Becky's channel is great.
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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why JW is so much better than Hubble.
*hum*hum* I cant hear you
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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Daehawk wrote: Tue Dec 14, 2021 3:13 pm
why JW is so much better than Hubble.
*hum*hum* I cant hear you
As I wrote that, I wondered if I was going to get pushback. :) How about '...why JW is needed so much even with Hubble still out there' ?
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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Eh I know its miles better Im just sentimental for Hubs. I wish they could keep it operating for more decades or bring it down for a museum. Its really a huge part of our space history to just leave floating up there to get damaged. I hope they dont burn it up.
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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BI
Without assistance, Hubble can't maintain its orbit forever, and eventually Earth's gravity will pull the telescope to a fiery death.”
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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Isgrimnur wrote: Tue Dec 14, 2021 4:24 pm BI
Without assistance, Hubble can't maintain its orbit forever, and eventually Earth's gravity will pull the telescope to a fiery death.”
If someone (Elon, are you listening?) is willing to cough up some bucks it wouldn't be very hard to send a boost assist stage up to Hubble. Once it has finished with its science of course. Then it can sit in a higher orbit for that much longer till it is decided what to do with it. My opinion is to leverage the current push for commercial/tourist space stations with NASA agreeing to let whoever wants to operate the first orbital B&B to have Hubble parked outside their window :dance:
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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Id love to visit it. Take a selfie with Hubs.
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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Vulcan continues path to its maiden launch as ULA turns 15. History of the Delta program and the start of the new Vulcan program. By the way, ULA (United Launch Alliance) was the sister company to ours.
On December 14, 2006, a Delta II rocket launched from VAFB (Vandenberg Air Force Base) SLC-2 (Space Launch Complex 2) on the NROL-21 mission. This launch marked the first mission for ULA (United Launch Alliance) and the beginning of its 15-year history.

The Delta rocket family has three more launches before being phased out with the Vulcan-Centaur rocket. Delta has seen an extensive history with operations of nearly 65 years and operating in two different countries. Delta started its life in two different rockets during the late 1950s.
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

Post by Isgrimnur »

Max Peck wrote: Mon Dec 13, 2021 12:42 pm
Daehawk wrote: Mon Dec 13, 2021 10:33 am Why is it using Ariane instead of Falcon? Is it safer or something?
From what I've read, it's a combination of factors:
  1. The Ariane launch vehicle is part of the ESA contribution to the project.
  2. The ESA launch site in French Guiana is better suited to the mission.
  3. The telescope just doesn't fit in the Falcon payload faring.
The decision was also made in 2005
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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The Webb launch is now scheduled for the 24th.
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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:csmile:
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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So unlike Hubs that is in orbit what happens if when it gets waaaay out there to its parking spot that something goes wrong? Say it doesn't unfold right or something breaks. I doubt anyone can get to it to fix it and I dont think its gonna just come back home for repairs. With Hubs it could be reached after deployment.
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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Daehawk wrote: Wed Dec 15, 2021 2:44 pm So unlike Hubs that is in orbit what happens if when it gets waaaay out there to its parking spot that something goes wrong? Say it doesn't unfold right or something breaks. I doubt anyone can get to it to fix it and I dont think its gonna just come back home for repairs. With Hubs it could be reached after deployment.
JWST only has one shot at getting it right. Everything has to work properly on the first try. Even if it could have unfolded itself in low earth orbit before moving to its working orbit, we don't have any spacecraft capable of supporting EVAs. Crew Dragon astronauts can't leave the capsule if they dare, even just to kick a sticky strut or duct tape a loose latch.

I wish there was a fallback -- that a Dragon could be modified and stocked with ISS spacesuits. But alas, if there are any critical failures, we're just out 20 years and $10B worth of work.
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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Feels like our tech is just regressing in time and the more time goes by the less we can do that we once did. its like Egypt and the pyramids.
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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Kraken wrote: Wed Dec 15, 2021 3:07 pm I wish there was a fallback -- that a Dragon could be modified and stocked with ISS spacesuits. But alas, if there are any critical failures, we're just out 20 years and $10B worth of work.
I'm thinking if there are critical failures, fixes might be able to be done with robotics. Depends on the failure of course. If it is just a stuck latch, you could design a robot mission to go out and give it a kick :wink:.

However, think of the many beyond earth exploration missions that have been flown, starting back with the Pioneer and Mariner probes. Spending years and big bucks and rolling the dice on what happens is pretty much the description of these missions. By the way, there's a great resource available from NASA, Beyond Earth: A Chronicle of Deep Space Exploration, 1958-2016 by Asif A. Siddiqi. The link downloads a PDF which is a year by year look at all the deep space missions by NASA and other nations and agencies.

More of those free NASA books are available at https://www.nasa.gov/connect/ebooks/index.html
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

Post by Kraken »

NASA has a great track record. I was skeptical that the sky crane to Mars would work -- yet it did, twice. It's the origami aspect of Webb that worries me, though; history is full of booms that didn't extend all the way and latches that didn't quite latch. They usually aren't mission-enders, but this one has so...many...steps...and precision is so critical.
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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From Space.com, Boeing plans to launch its Starliner spacecraft to the International Space Station in May 2022
The next launch of Boeing's Starliner spacecraft is slated for May 2022, company officials announced on Monday (Dec. 13). That is if everything goes as planned.

Teams from both Boeing and NASA have spent the last four months combing over data and inspecting valves on the Starliner spacecraft in an effort to figure out what caused several valves in its propulsion system to stick shut.

"NASA has been working side-by-side with Boeing on the service module valve investigation, including leveraging the agency's materials and propellants expertise to better characterize the potential causes of the issue," Steve Stich, NASA's Commercial Crew Program manager said in an agency blog post.

The agency announced on Monday that the team is aiming to relaunch the Starliner on its second orbital flight test (a mission called OFT-2) sometime in May 2022. At that time, the capsule will launch atop a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket on a mission bound for the International Space Station (ISS).
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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SpaceX looks to boost Starship operations at Kennedy Space Center with new launch pad
SpaceX founder Elon Musk has said a large number of launches for their new Starship spacecraft would be needed to make the human species multiplanetary. An important step toward that may be coming to the Cape.

SpaceX submitted a proposal to NASA to construct and operate a new launch pad, Launch Complex 49 at Kennedy Space Center (KSC). The area has been planned for development, according to Tom Engler, Kennedy’s director of Center Planning and Development.
A 2020 proposal graphic:
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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I learned that 'notional' is a word and its meaning.
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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More about SpaceX and the Kennedy Space Center: NASA promotes East Coast Starship option at LC-49 following SpaceX interest
The prospect of Starship making its mark on the Space Coast entered another level this week when NASA revealed it would conduct environmental assessments on LC-49 to support Starship launch and landing operations.

With SpaceX already confirming they will restart work on a Starship pad inside 39A, the potential of a second site at LC-49 could provide a considerable increase in Starship launch cadence from the Kennedy Space Center (KSC).
Looking pass Pads A and B towards the new Starship pads.
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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A domestic newspaper warns of the Russian space program’s “rapid collapse”
A long and strikingly critical article that reviews the state of the Russian space program was published in the state-aligned newspaper MK this week.

None of the findings in the 2,800-word article were particularly surprising. Western observers who track the Russian space industry realize the program is deeply troubled, and to a great extent running on the fumes of its past and very real glory. What is notable, however, is that a major Russian media outlet has published such a revelatory article for a domestic audience.

Increasingly, Russia's space program seeks to project its greatness in space through symbolic acts rather than technological achievements—such as the launch of a Russian movie star, sending a robot nicknamed Fedor to space, or making (entirely) hollow promises about a Moon landing in 2030. But now it has been called out on these acts in a publication closely aligned with the Russian government.

The Moscow-based daily newspaper MK, formerly known as Moscovsky Komsomolets, was, during the Soviet era, the propaganda organ of the Komsomol, or Young Communists League. This article was written by Dmitry Popov, who has worked at the publication since 1992. During his career Popov earned numerous official expressions of thanks, recognitions, and awards from the Russian government and recently received a commemorative dagger from Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.

Because the article was published in a state-sanctioned newspaper, Popov is exempt from the country's recently declared rules about independent media reporting on much of Russia's space activities.

Notably Popov's analysis is highly critical of Dmitry Rogozin, who leads the Roscosmos space corporation, which manages much of the country's spaceflight activities. So why is a state-sanctioned journalist criticizing the state's space leader in a state-aligned publication? That's a big question.
To be fair, given his love of quality photo-ops, Putin will likely have Rogozin tossed out a window just for appearing in front of a camera wearing this comically under-sized hard hat. At any rate, if a state propaganda organ is taking this sort of run at him when non-state media are flat out banned from covering the Russian space program in order to avoid exactly this sort of reporting, one hopes that Rogozin has his personal affairs in order.
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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Nice pic of tonight's Falcon launch from the Cape.

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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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James Webb Space Telescope vs. Hubble: How will their images compare?
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope is currently poised to launch and become the most powerful telescope in space. But how will its photos compare to Hubble's?

The Hubble Space Telescope launched into low Earth orbit in April 1990. Over the three decades since, the famous observatory has expanded our view of the cosmos and held our attention with the stunning images it collects. What once was a faint and mysterious abyss became a detailed and colorful universe, and we could see stars and galaxies as they'd never been seen before.

But the James Webb Space Telescope, which is scheduled to launch on Dec. 24, will do things a bit differently. With its giant gold mirror and infrared light observation tools, Webb is designed to "see" objects 10 to 100 times fainter than what Hubble can see, according to a NASA fact sheet. So, how will Webb's view compare to Hubble's?
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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That gold mirror is neat but Im curious if it being just out there and exposed instead of inside a protective tube so to speak if it will get damaged over time by micro impacts.
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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

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Given how far out it is, we don't have to worry about our orbiting debris cloud.

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Re: SPACE - random thread about space stuff

Post by Isgrimnur »

NASA
Q: Once Webb is in orbit, how susceptible will it be to micrometeoroid strikes? For example, what would happen if one of Webb’s primary mirror segments or the sunshield got struck?

Paul: Although space is mostly empty, there is some debris. In the inner Solar System where Webb will orbit, we have a good understanding of what the population of meteoroids is like from years of observations and research. It’s mostly dust and very small particles, with the majority being sparsely distributed and tinier than grains of sand. There are some pebbles, rocks, and boulders, but they are very sparse and very rare. At Webb’s orbit at L2, the debris is all natural and the environment is not as hazardous as it is much closer to Earth, where there is a fair amount of human-generated “space junk.”

We know Webb will get struck by micrometeoroids during its lifetime, and we have taken that into account in its design and construction. We sized Webb’s main mirror so that even after years of little impacts it will still have the reflective surface area and quality necessary to do the science. We even did tests on the ground that emulated micrometeoroid impacts to demonstrate what will happen to the mirrors in space.

Similarly, part of the reason the sunshield has five layers is so it can tolerate more than the number of expected small holes, and even some tears, and still work as it should.

Also, almost all of Webb’s sensitive components (besides the mirrors and sunshield) are protected behind “micrometeoroid armor.” When micrometeoroids do strike, most are so small that they totally disintegrate upon impact, even when they hit something thin like thermal blankets or a sunshield membrane. Critical wires and electronics are shielded behind even more robust metal “armor” or inside metal boxes.
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