re: #122 Obdicut

Of course there are. That goes on in the real world all the time, in R&D, in programming projects, etc. Why do you need to assert crap that’s not true? Shit, there are ads all over town for Duke Nukem Forever, a game that’s more than a decade late and has had several companies collapse under it.

Which makes my point for me. Thank you.

An estimate of costs can be wildly off without it meaning that the money spent isn’t worthwhile.

I didn’t say it wasn’t worthwhile. What I said was it would be a nice project to have if we could afford it. We can’t.

Because you don’t understand the project, I guess, and how basic science supports technology in general. It’s not about the meaning of life. It’s about unlocking the most basic physics behind the interactions of matter— the kind of thing that leads, after much hard work, to amazing technological inventions, especially in the area of energy.

This is exactly the sort of basic science research that led us to our understanding of atomic theory, and our ability to manipulate radioactive material.

That’s a weird assertion. I hadn’t realized Einstein and Oppenheimer had access to satellite technology. Once again I’m pretty sure I understand the project but I don’t believe you do…

jwst.nasa.gov

The science goals for the Webb can be grouped into four themes:

The End of the Dark Ages: First Light and Reionization seeks to identify the first bright objects that formed in the early Universe, and follow the ionization history.

Assembly of Galaxies will determine how galaxies and dark matter, including gas, stars, metals, physical structures (like spiral arms) and active nuclei evolved to the present day.

The Birth of Stars and Protoplanetary Systems focuses on the birth and early development of stars and the formation of planets.

Planetary Systems and the Origins of Life studies the physical and chemical properties of solar systems (including our own) and where the building blocks of life may be present.

It’s a “meaning of life” science project. It would be nice but, again, we can’t afford it and it’s unnecessary. If you think it’s that important then what entitlement programs would you be willing to slash by a couple billion dollars to pay for it?