MetaFilter posts tagged with jameswebb

On President Kennedy, the Space Race, legacies and politics

Brandon Blatcher — Wed, 25 May 2011 12:13:00 -0800

50 years ago today, on May 25 1961, US President John F. Kennedy decided "...this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth." Eight years later the Apollo program fulfilled the task, leaving the world with a legacy that includes advances in computers and communciation, lessons in managing complex projects, technological innovations and new views of the Earth. Yet Kennedy wasn't exactly enthusatic about a manned space program. As a Senator, he opposed it and as President would have probably loved to opt out of a big space program. But the supremacy of the Soviet Union in space and the domestic disaster of the Bay of Pigs caused the President to rethink his position. This prompts a question: If Kennedy had lived, what would have happened to the Apollo program?

Hubble Space Telescope, this is your life

i8ny3x — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 16:29:40 -0800

On April 24, 1990, the Discovery shuttle launched the Hubble Space Telescope into orbit around Earth, where it's been for 20 years. This spring, NASA has been rolling out more pretty pictures, videos and even an IMAX movie in its honor. The Hubble has contributed to hundreds of studies about our universe. As we celebrate its legacy, let's reflect on a bit on its past and future. The Hubble was initially set to launch in October 1986, but the Challenger tragedy grounded all space missions indefinitely. When it was finally launched in spring 1990, there was a flaw in the mirror, and the Hubble sent back blurry images. Though the space telescope was built with periodic upgrades and repairs, the mistakes, a result of poor management and slightly less-than-pristine construction measurements and conditions at NASA and the mirror's producer, brought new urgency to these scheduled missions. There have been five: Sts-61, Sts-82, Sts-103, Sts-109, Sts-125. The fifth servicing mission in May 2009 was also its last. The Hubble was originally meant to last 15 years, but repairs and replacements will let it go on to collect and record data until 2014. It will re-enter Earth sometime between 2019 and 2032. Its successor, the James Webb Space Telescope, will launch in 2014, and will continue where Hubble left off. It is part of NASA's Origins Program, which aims to discover the formation of galaxies and stars. However, because it will be orbiting 1 million miles from Earth and won't enjoy the benefit of schedule service repairs as Hubble did, NASA has only one chance to get it right (mechanically speaking). Some trivia: You want to know how it works? The Hubble, of course, is named after Edwin Hubble. But his right-hand man was Milt Humason, a self-educated person who started as a mule driver during the construction of the Mt. Wilson observatory (where the two worked). Humason then was promoted to janitor, then night assistant there. Humason helped Hubble calculate the Hubble (redshift) velocity. Previously

Welcome to America.

EarBucket — Mon, 14 Aug 2006 14:16:44 -0800

"Let's give a welcome to Macaca here."

God Damn Hippies!

Ignatius J. Reilly — Tue, 02 Sep 2003 19:08:28 -0800

James Webb, former Secretary of the Navy: "I am very troubled by the fact that we went into Iraq and very troubled about how we're going to get out of Iraq.'' Recently ousted Army Secretary Thomas E. White, in his new book/Iraq blueprint concurs: "Clearly the view that the war to `liberate' Iraq would instantly produce a pro-United States citizenry ready for economic and political rebirth ignored the harsh realities on the ground." Is the rift between military and civillian leadership in the Pentagon growing?

Chinese checkmate ?

rdone — Wed, 04 Sep 2002 18:00:16 -0800

Chinese checkmate ? "Those who love to quote Sun Tzu might consider his nationality', says James Webb, as he offers still more cogent reasons why a 30 year "MacArthurian regency in Baghdad" is probably not in America's national interest. Why are the military men the ones who have to keep pointing out the unwisdom of an invasion of Iraq? Quoth Secretary Webb: "The issue before us is not simply whether the United States should end the regime of Saddam Hussein, but whether we as a nation are prepared to physically occupy territory in the Middle East for the next 30 to 50 years."