“The best that most of us can hope to achieve in science is simply to misunderstand at a deeper level.” ― Wolfgang Pauli

The LAUNCH of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) on December 25, 2021 was certainly a big event, but the larger timeline furnishes an example of how much planning, extra effort in brand new technology development and just execution of the original visions goes into serious scientific projects, even ones that are not as large as JWST.

The JWST’s distance from Earth varies slightly due to its ongoing orbit around the second Lagrange point (L2), but the JWST is approximately 1,702,027 kilometers (1,057,519 miles) away from Earth. The JWST’s orbit around L2 does not match the Earth’s orbit exactly, but close enough … the JWST follows a complex orbit around L2, a gravitationally stable point located about 1.5 million kilometers beyond Earth on the opposite side of the Sun. Due to its elliptical orbit around L2, the JWST’s distance from Earth can fluctuate slightly, ranging from around 1.4 to 1.7 million kilometers, but it is constantly being tracked and there are adjustments that can be made delicate interplay of gravity and small, precise thruster burns. Station-keeping maneuvers are typically planned and executed every 21 days, although the frequency can be adjusted depending on the required correction and fuel efficiency considerations. There are several ways for us to real-time track the JWST’s distance from Earth, including several websites and online tools, like NASA’s “Where Is Webb”… which complements the NASA Eyes visualization tool and the STScI’s tracking of JWST scientific execution.

NASA’s Deep Space Network is the largest and most sensitive scientific telecommunications system in the world. The DSN’s international array of giant radio antennas that supports interplanetary spacecraft missions, plus a few that orbit Earth, but we should not underestimate the important of space exploration in the development of new communication technologies. For example, NASA’s LCRD (Laser Communications Relay Demonstration) and the new space station demonstration, ILLUMA-T (Integrated LCRD Low Earth Orbit User Modem and Amplifier Terminal), successfully exchanged data for the first time. LCRD and ILLUMA-T communicate with laser communications, also known known as optical communications, uses infrared light rather than traditional radio waves to send and receive signals. The tighter wavelength of infrared light allows spacecraft to pack more data into each transmission to greatly increases the efficiency of data transfer

Staying in communication with an instrument to optimize and precisely manage small, precice thruster burns helps to ensure that the instrument’’s mission can be fulfilled. For example, the stable and continued accuracy of JWST’s position in space plays an essential role in execution of the JWST’s mission. Being located precisely at L2 allows:

  • Maintenance of a very stable temperature: L2 is shielded from both the direct heat of the Sun and the infrared radiation of Earth and the Moon, enabling the JWST’s sensitive instruments to operate effectively.

  • Uninterrupted observation: Due to its position relative to Earth and the Sun, the JWST can continuously observe the universe without interruption from Earth’s rotation or day/night cycles and the stream of data, as opposed to just snapshot or datapoint like a screen cap, helps with error correcting and to ensure accuracy of observation.

  • Reduced communication lag: While the distance means a slight delay in communication with the JWST, the L2 location means that JWST is always close enough for efficient, continual data transmission and mission control.

Overall, the JWST’s communication technology that at allows for maintaining a location precisely at L2 allows the instruments to operate optimally and fulfill its really ambitious scientific goals for pure Physics of peering into the early universe, confirming / disproving / re-adjusting original hypotheses that we could not test from our position on Earth and also just generally exploring the formation of stars and planets … in a nutshell, the investment in communication technology delivers a far higher return on investement than any investment in just putting humans into space.

When things work, as they did with JWST … or when things fail, as has typically happened with manned space flight … the comparative lessons show us why the larger campaign of space exploration is so unending and infinite … yes, there are immediate results of tiny little things like GPS for navigation to satellite telecommunications or space defense programs … but most of the effort in space explorations and new experiments in Physics is incomprehensibly gigantic, especially for most people who never really do anything more than a few miles away … but the exploration development of new even more useful technologies will never finish. So, it applies to everything, the best that most of us can hope to achieve in science exploration is simply to misunderstand at a deeper level.”