{"id":386493,"date":"2021-12-27T23:14:47","date_gmt":"2021-12-27T20:14:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/nasa-takes-a-10b-gamble-on-webb-what-could-go-wrong\/"},"modified":"2021-12-27T23:14:47","modified_gmt":"2021-12-27T20:14:47","slug":"nasa-takes-a-10b-gamble-on-webb-what-could-go-wrong","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/nasa-takes-a-10b-gamble-on-webb-what-could-go-wrong\/","title":{"rendered":"#NASA takes a $10B gamble on Webb \u2013 what could go wrong?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3b180f0e148\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3b180f0e148\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/nasa-takes-a-10b-gamble-on-webb-what-could-go-wrong\/#Space_billionaires\" >Space billionaires<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/nasa-takes-a-10b-gamble-on-webb-what-could-go-wrong\/#Space_Hackers\" >Space Hackers<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/nasa-takes-a-10b-gamble-on-webb-what-could-go-wrong\/#Space_wars\" >Space wars<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;<strong>#NASA takes a $10B gamble on Webb \u2013 what could go wrong?<\/strong>&#8221;<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/img-cdn.tnwcdn.com\/image?fit=796%2C417&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn0.tnwcdn.com%2Fwp-content%2Fblogs.dir%2F1%2Ffiles%2F2021%2F12%2Ftelescope_heist.jpg&amp;signature=4ebc3a6ce276d053f9431c71b705e87b\" \/><\/p>\n<div><span>The James Webb space telescope was successfully launched over the weekend. The $10B <\/span><i><span>honeycomb<\/span><\/i><span> array, which will serve as the spiritual successor to Hubble, is now on its way to Lagrange point two. There, it\u2019ll sit in orbit a million miles away from the planet it was built on.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">\u2705 Milestone achieved. <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NASAWebb?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@NASAWebb<\/a> is safely in space, powered on, and communicating with ground controllers.<\/p>\n<p>The space telescope is now on its way to <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/UnfoldTheUniverse?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#UnfoldTheUniverse<\/a> at its final destination one million miles (1.5 million km) away from Earth. <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/gqICd0Xojz\">pic.twitter.com\/gqICd0Xojz<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 NASA (@NASA) <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NASA\/status\/1474725649927581698?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">December 25, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/fast.wistia.net\/embed\/iframe\/ozs2jfiyea?videoFoam=true&amp;autoPlay=true\" title=\"\" allowtransparency=\"true\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wistia_embed\" name=\"wistia_embed\" allowfullscreen=\"\" msallowfullscreen=\"\" width=\"100%\" height=\"100%\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span>If something goes wrong now, it\u2019s out of NASA\u2019s hands. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>From its vantage point at the L2 boundary, a point in space where the gravitational pull of both the Earth and Moon helps hold an object in a deep orbit, Webb will allow humans to see further into the reaches of space and time than ever before.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>At least, we hope it will. As we learned when Hubble launched with a defect: things don\u2019t always go right in space.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>In Hubble\u2019s case, NASA\u2019s been able <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NASA\/status\/1474725649927581698\">to launch a crewed mission to fix things<\/a> each time its had a problem requiring hands-on maintenance. If Webb gets on spot and something goes wrong\u2026 that\u2019s probably how its story will end. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>It\u2019ll be about six month before we know for sure. But, so far, everything\u2019s looking good according to NASA.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Ooh, sick burn! \ud83d\udd25<\/p>\n<p>In this case, we\u2019re not talking about insults, but a burn of fuel to adjust <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/NASAWebb?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#NASAWebb<\/a>\u2019s trajectory on its million mile (1.5 million km) journey to <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/UnfoldTheUniverse?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#UnfoldTheUniverse<\/a>. <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/ICYMI?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#ICYMI<\/a>, Webb had its first mid-course correction burn Dec. 25: <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/jLXoJoAcXY\">https:\/\/t.co\/jLXoJoAcXY<\/a><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/71U6jbi1vs\">pic.twitter.com\/71U6jbi1vs<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 NASA Webb Telescope (@NASAWebb) <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NASAWebb\/status\/1475518381226971138?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">December 27, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span>Now seems like a good time to wonder: <\/span><i><span>what could go wrong?<\/span><\/i><span\/><\/p>\n<p><span>The Webb telescope has dozens of \u201cmajor deployments\u201d involving micrometer-level precision movements to perform in order to properly function. It has to wind up in just the right spot and activate and operate the most advanced sensors ever sent out into space. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.space.com\/nasa-james-webb-space-telescope-next-steps\">If things don\u2019t align perfectly<\/a> the whole telescope could end up as a $10 billion paperweight floating through space.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>But, that\u2019s the boring space stuff of yesteryear. NASA put the best engineers on the project and we\u2019re just going to have to be h<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>y with that.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Instead, let\u2019s keep in mind that we reached an entirely new class of drama and adventure in our off-planet endeavors in 2021.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>We have <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Billionaire_space_race#:~:text=This%20private%20industry%20space%20race,true%20industrial%20base%20in%20space.\">billionaires waging their own private space race<\/a> and a US military branch <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.spaceforce.mil\/\">dedicated solely to extraterrestrial operations<\/a>. We\u2019re <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.syfy.com\/syfy-wire\/blowing-up-asteroids-can-actually-protect-earth\">blowing up asteroids<\/a> and still planning <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/topic\/moon-to-marsoverview\">a crewed mission to Mars<\/a> before the decade\u2019s end. Things have changed drastically since the space shuttle era.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>If 2022 is as wacky as 2021 was, there\u2019s no predicting what could possibly go wrong when it comes to the James Webb space telescope.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>But, here\u2019s the three weirdest (but at least slightly plausible) things we could come up with to help stoke your paranoia ahead of the impending space wars:<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Space_billionaires\"><\/span><span>Space billionaires<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span>The paradox of wealth is that, at some point, you can have so much of it that it becomes entirely meaningless. Take Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk for example. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Their combined ambition is so great that either of their fortunes alone would count as the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/news\/elon-musk-nearing-300-billion-fortune-is-the-richest-person-in-history?sh=25234db51933\">most wealth amassed by a single human in history<\/a>. Together, they\u2019ve pushed the boundaries of <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/technology\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"4\" title=\"Technology\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">technology<\/a> and commerce. Their empires are so vast that each has extended the reach of their companies beyond the planet itself. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Now what? If Musk and Bezos spent a million dollars every single day, it would take them each over 500 years to go broke. They could build dozens of James Webb space telescopes and still have some change left over. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>What\u2019s stopping either of them from littering the Lagrange two point with commercial satellites that clog Webb\u2019s view or, worse, end up smashing into it? <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Musk\u2019s already done as much with the orbit around Earth. Scientists say that one in every 15 points of light in the sky visible from Earth will be artificial soon. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>There are 2,755 billionaires in the world right now and <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/centers\/hq\/library\/find\/bibliographies\/space_law\">almost nothing stopping them<\/a> from doing whatever they want to in space. It\u2019s possible the day could soon come when NASA won\u2019t be able to find an orbit beyond big tech\u2019s reach.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Space_Hackers\"><\/span><span>Space Hackers <\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span>There are, however, more nefarious concerns beyond a bunch of bumbling billionaires just trying to make a buck. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>NASA\u2019s enemies range far and wide and it\u2019s becoming increasingly posh to hack government systems and hold them for ransom thanks to the advent of cryptocurrency. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>So, the question is, could the James Webb space telescope be hacked? The answer\u2019s a <\/span><i><span>soft <\/span><\/i><span>yes. Just about anything can be hacked. But, in this case, satellites are notoriously easy to hack.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>However, that also works in Webb\u2019s favor. Because the US government is quite aware of <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hackasat.com\/\">the potential cybersecurity issues with spacecraft<\/a> and it\u2019s heavily-invested in protecting those assets. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>That makes the conversation surrounding a potential Webb takeover a bit moot \u2013 we may as well speculate on how the Pentagon could be successfully hacked. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>However, there\u2019s almost no such thing as \u201cunhackable,\u201d and that means we shouldn\u2019t rule out a near future where the headlines read \u201cHackers demand bitcoin for space telescope\u2019s release.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Space_wars\"><\/span><span>Space wars<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span>The entire universe beyond Earth\u2019s atmosphere is currently up for grabs. And the US is poised to seize a lion\u2019s share of any available resources \u2013 <\/span>of which <i><span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/oxfordre.com\/planetaryscience\/view\/10.1093\/acrefore\/9780190647926.001.0001\/acrefore-9780190647926-e-13\">the value is virtually unlimited<\/a><\/span><\/i><span>. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>And, historically speaking, whenever a new frontier is exploited for resources in such a way that it effects the global economy, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.newscientist.com\/article\/dn1778-resource-wars-ignite-around-the-world\/\">war follows<\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>With Space Force already in place and relations between NASA and Russia\u2019s ROSCOMOS reaching <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/arstechnica.com\/science\/2021\/11\/russia-threatens-criminal-charges-against-a-nasa-astronaut\/\">a low point in 2021<\/a>, there\u2019s every reason to worry about an impending cold war in space. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>And, with China and its own <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/opinion\/technology\/584314-us-china-space-cooperation-is-up-in-the-air-more-than-ever\">divergent plans for expansion into space<\/a> being kept under cloak and dagger, there\u2019s even more reason for concern. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>It\u2019ll be especially interesting to see how the next few decades play out when it comes to political theater in space. Russia, for example, may not be able to build and launch its own James Webb space telescope, but there\u2019s nothing stopping it from building a craft capable of smashing NASA\u2019s. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>From the Russian government officially accusing a US astronaut of sabotaging a ROSCOMOS spacecraft to <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bostonglobe.com\/news\/opinionrussia-gears-up-invade-ukraine-west-faces-choice\/\">the currently unfolding situation in Ukraine<\/a>, it\u2019s clear that political tensions are rising between the two nations.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>While there\u2019s probably no tactical purpose for targeting the Webb telescope, the political implications would be immense, it would make a great initial test of combat capability, and the potential for unintended casualties would be virtually nonexistent.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>At the end of the day, there\u2019s no telling what could go wrong. The most likely scenario is that Webb arrives safely at its intended orbit and helps humanity explore the cosmos. But in this new era of political drama, we should be prepared for anything. Even aliens.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Technology category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/news\/nasa-takes-10b-gamble-on-webb-what-could-go-wrong\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;#NASA takes a $10B gamble on Webb \u2013 what could go wrong?&#8221; The James Webb space telescope was successfully launched over the weekend. The $10B honeycomb array, which will serve as the spiritual successor to Hubble, is now on its way to Lagrange point two. There, it\u2019ll sit in orbit a million miles away from&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":386494,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/img-cdn.tnwcdn.com\/image\/neural?filter_last=1&fit=1280,640&url=https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2021\/12\/telescope_heist.jpg&signature=d55b1522f19a9bf97b4e914b61700775","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-386493","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/386493","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=386493"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/386493\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/386494"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=386493"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=386493"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=386493"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}