Editing 2559: December 25th Launch
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==Explanation== | ==Explanation== | ||
− | + | {{incomplete|Created by a SANTA SEEKING ROCKET SEEKING ROCKET SEEKING SANTA and A RANGE SAFETY OFFICER NAMED GRINCH . - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}} | |
− | The {{w|James Webb Space Telescope}} | + | The {{w|James Webb Space Telescope}} is a space telescope jointly developed by NASA, the European Space Agency, and the Canadian Space Agency. It has suffered many, many delays over its development period (as previously referenced in [[2014: JWST Delays]]), but it finally launched on Christmas day, December 25, 2021, within hours of this comic appearing. |
− | + | In this comic, the James Webb Space Telescope is finally ready to take off. However, an unfortunate circumstance occurs: Santa Claus himself, presumably on his way to or from delivering presents to children, crosses into the path of the launch rocket. The joke is the implication that, right on the brink of success, this extraordinarily unlucky incident will either destroy the telescope or cause yet another delay, much to Cueball's horror. | |
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− | In this comic, the James Webb Space Telescope is finally ready to take off. However, an unfortunate circumstance occurs: | ||
Real launch aborts have {{w|STS-68|occurred}} with fewer than 2 seconds left in the countdown, causing delays of over a month. | Real launch aborts have {{w|STS-68|occurred}} with fewer than 2 seconds left in the countdown, causing delays of over a month. | ||
− | According to the title text, the {{w|range safety officer}} has made the decision to shoot down Santa Claus's sleigh, in order to clear the sky above, protecting the launch window. This seems to demonstrate that they are determined not to let anything delay the launch any further (or that given a choice between destroying the telescope or destroying Santa, the range safety officer chooses the latter) | + | According to the title text, the {{w|range safety officer}} has made the decision to shoot down Santa Claus's sleigh, in order to clear the sky above, protecting the launch window. This seems to demonstrate that they are determined not to let anything delay the launch any further (or that given a choice between destroying both the telescope and Santa or just destroying Santa, the range safety officer chooses the latter). |
− | + | In "reality", Santa Claus performs deliveries overnight, while the launch is scheduled for [https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/24/science/webb-telescope-launch-date-livestream.html early morning local time], so the timing of such a collision would not occur. Furthermore, Santa already knows about the launch because thousands of astronomy geeks have asked for a new space telescope as a Christmas present in their letters to Santa, and the easiest way for Santa to deliver such a present is just keeping a safe distance from the launch pad. What is more, airspace is [https://simpleflying.com/rocket-launches-airline-traffic/ normally] closed to air traffic to avoid collisions between aircraft and rocket launches. An additional safety measure is that {{w|NORAD}} [https://www.noradsanta.org/en/ tracks Santa]'s flying around the world and would be able to give sufficient warning to both Santa and Ground Control to prevent such a close encounter of a festive kind. | |
− | The JWST has been referenced previously in [[1730: Starshade]], [[2014: JWST Delays]], [[2447: Hammer Incident]] and [[2550: Webb]], | + | The JWST has been referenced previously in [[1730: Starshade]], [[2014: JWST Delays]], [[2447: Hammer Incident]] and [[2550: Webb]], as well as indirectly in [[975: Occulting Telescope]] and [[1461: Payloads]]. Santa is known to [[838|maintain a list of humans]] responsible for technological incidents and to have suitable punishment for offenders. |
==Transcript== | ==Transcript== | ||
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:[Zoom-out to show the complete rocket and the ground below. The rocket takes up the bottom-left corner. At the top-right, Santa Claus and a line of reindeer are flying in towards the left.] | :[Zoom-out to show the complete rocket and the ground below. The rocket takes up the bottom-left corner. At the top-right, Santa Claus and a line of reindeer are flying in towards the left.] | ||
− | :Santa: Ho ho ho! | + | :Santa: Ho ho ho! Merry Christmas! |
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:[Ponytail and Cueball sitting at mission control consoles.] | :[Ponytail and Cueball sitting at mission control consoles.] | ||
:Cueball: ''Oh no.'' | :Cueball: ''Oh no.'' | ||
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{{comic discussion}} | {{comic discussion}} | ||
− | + | [[Category: Christmas]] | |
− | [[Category:Christmas]] | + | [[Category: Telescopes]] |
− | [[Category: | + | [[Category: Comics featuring Cueball]] |
− | [[Category:Comics featuring | + | [[Category: Comics featuring Ponytail]] |
− | [[Category: | ||
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