3 ms·

This is just the telemetry data. They deployed the high data rate antenna yesterday which can do many GB per day.

Animats 5y ago
Oh, good, that unfolding worked. The amount of unpacking involved as this thing deploys is insane. On the data rate thing, satellites usually have a low data rate system with omnidirectional antennas, used for command and positioning. Then they have a high data rate system with directional antennas for whatever it is they do. (The USAF used to have a strict separation between the two. This reflects the USAF's pilot-oriented mentality. The USAF is pilots, and then everybody else. The low data rate system belonged to the piloting operation, which used to be in the Blue Cube in Sunnyvale CA and is now at Schriever Space Force Base, formerly Falcon AFB, in Colorado Springs CO. They "drive the bus", managing orbital insertion and station keeping. The high data rate system belonged to the payload, and once the piloting operation had it turned on and aimed, it was turned over to the agency that owned the payload. Private satellite operators usually don't make that distinction.)
- foobarian 5y ago
  And according to this chart it's about to pass the Moon in distance in a few hours. https://jwst.nasa.gov/content/webbLaunch/whereIsWebb.html https://jwst.nasa.gov/content/webbLaunch/whereIsWebb.html
- cfraenkel 5y ago
  There are completely practical reasons.... The omni-directional antenna typically doesn't have the gain, or bandwidth, or power of the high bandwidth antenna, but does have the useful property of being usable when the vehicle might be tumbling.
  - Animats 5y ago
    Right, but didn't want to go into that much detail.
frakkingcylons 5y ago
And to tag on, there's even a 6-second 4K video of that deployment step: https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a020000/a020300/a020339/WEBB_HGA_4k_30fps_h264.mp4 https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a020000/a020300/a020339/WEBB_H... That's from this link: https://www.jwst.nasa.gov/content/webbLaunch/deploymentExplorer.html https://www.jwst.nasa.gov/content/webbLaunch/deploymentExplo... I feel so spoiled that NASA provides video clips of each specific deployment step.
- naikrovek 5y ago
  I would feel more spoiled if it were actual video from the spacecraft.

Oh, good, that unfolding worked. The amount of unpacking involved as this thing deploys is insane. On the data rate thing, satellites usually have a low data rate system with omnidirectional antennas, used for command and positioning. Then they have a high data rate system with directional antennas for whatever it is they do. (The USAF used to have a strict separation between the two. This reflects the USAF's pilot-oriented mentality. The USAF is pilots, and then everybody else. The low data rate system belonged to the piloting operation, which used to be in the Blue Cube in Sunnyvale CA and is now at Schriever Space Force Base, formerly Falcon AFB, in Colorado Springs CO. They "drive the bus", managing orbital insertion and station keeping. The high data rate system belonged to the payload, and once the piloting operation had it turned on and aimed, it was turned over to the agency that owned the payload. Private satellite operators usually don't make that distinction.)

foobarian 5y ago
And according to this chart it's about to pass the Moon in distance in a few hours. https://jwst.nasa.gov/content/webbLaunch/whereIsWebb.html https://jwst.nasa.gov/content/webbLaunch/whereIsWebb.html
cfraenkel 5y ago
There are completely practical reasons.... The omni-directional antenna typically doesn't have the gain, or bandwidth, or power of the high bandwidth antenna, but does have the useful property of being usable when the vehicle might be tumbling.
- Animats 5y ago
  Right, but didn't want to go into that much detail.

frakkingcylons 5y ago

And to tag on, there's even a 6-second 4K video of that deployment step: https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a020000/a020300/a020339/WEBB_HGA_4k_30fps_h264.mp4 https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a020000/a020300/a020339/WEBB_H... That's from this link: https://www.jwst.nasa.gov/content/webbLaunch/deploymentExplorer.html https://www.jwst.nasa.gov/content/webbLaunch/deploymentExplo... I feel so spoiled that NASA provides video clips of each specific deployment step.

naikrovek 5y ago
I would feel more spoiled if it were actual video from the spacecraft.