Is STScI ready to manage Hubble and operate Webb at the same time?
If James Webb launches in 2013 as planned, the odds are fairly good there will be some overlap. Scientifically, that would be a very powerful combination. It presents some challenges, sure, but they are nice challenges to have. And Webb, in some ways, is closer than you think. Two years of intensive end-to-end instrument tests are due to begin at the end of 2008. We’ve got to be ready here to support that effort as though the telescope was already on orbit. Why are Webb flight operations being based at STScI? Having flight ops here is much more important for Webb than for Hubble, because with Webb the way the telescope operates – how you adjust the mirror, schedule it, etc. – is a key part of how you get the science out of it. It’s going to be more like ground-based astronomy where the telescope, instruments and science are all totally interrelated. Will Webb operations be leaner than Hubble operations? Our current projection shows that our peak staff on Webb will be less than peak sta
