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Worse, journalists often compare Webb with Hubble, but they mostly ignore the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herschel_Space_Observatory https://en.wikipedia.org/
by js8 5y ago
Worse, journalists often compare Webb with Hubble, but they mostly ignore the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herschel_Space_Observatory https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herschel_Space_Observatory, which had a larger primary mirror (for example, https://webb.nasa.gov/content/observatory/ote/mirrors/index.html https://webb.nasa.gov/content/observatory/ote/mirrors/index....). It's a very subtle form of American exceptionalism.
- CrazyStat 5y agoI'm not sure it's American exceptionalism, just that Hubble has been around a long time and is much more prominent in the public conscience thanks to iconic images like the Hubble deep field. If someone builds a big new ocean liner you know journalists are going to compare it to the Titanic. Same thing.
- dev_tty01 5y agoYes, Herschel was a great project by the ESA. It certainly got short shrift within the US press despite significant contributions from NASA and JPL. I hope it got plenty of love from the European press. Great work.
- justin66 5y ago> It's a very subtle form of American exceptionalism. Oh, bullshit. NASA spends an awful lot of money and effort on promoting its projects to the English-language press. Does the ESA make a comparable amount of effort?
- js8 5y agoI am not sure where we disagree. I am talking about the (false) perception that the U.S. is the #1 among world nations. Maybe it is caused by comparatively higher marketing budget, but that doesn't ultimately matter, because the point is, the perception is still false, and ignoring Webb's predecessor contributes to it. OTOH, I think Webb is amazing, and fairly, perhaps without the marketing it wouldn't even exist because of all the American deficit hawks.
- justin66 5y ago> the (false) perception that the U.S. is the #1 among world nations The #1 what? I wouldn't blame you for using some unkind phrases here, and I suspect you want to! But it's certainly not false that the U.S. does much more space exploration than any other nation, spends a lot more on it, achieves more in space, etc. None of that invalidates the work of other nations, and spaceflight and the production of scientific data seems like a very healthy form of competition (and cooperation!) between nations. If the U.S. isn't #1, I am curious how you are keeping score. Herschel didn't just get less English-language press than American made space telescopes. It was less prominent in the public consciousness than short, much less expensive Japanese missions like Hayabusa and Hayabusa2. I doubt any of this is about American exceptionalism.
- spookthesunset 5y ago> OTOH, I think Webb is amazing, and fairly, perhaps without the marketing it wouldn't even exist because of all the American deficit hawks. It's just like everything else in life. You can build the best product in the world but it won't make a damn bit of impact on people's lives unless you let them know it exists. Marketing your product is just as important to its success as the product itself.
- Steltek 5y agoMaybe because Herschel was active for only a few years while Hubble is still going? Hubble has also produced some of the most recognizable images of space. It's clearly a name with more awareness in the general public.