Re:James Webb is fully deployed
by wolverine876 on Saturday January 08, 2022 @04:25PM
(#29856448)
> 90% of the cost is probably in R+D of the telescope
While I might have guessed that, IIRC someone at NASA said that most of the cost is parts, assembly, and testing of a massive, highly sensitive, highly unusual custom build. Many (most?) parts are custom made, and even finding vendors to make them again would be difficult - wasn't the manufacturing completed several years ago? Again, IIRC, they said a second one might even cost more.
Re:James Webb is fully deployed
by mdavidn on Saturday January 08, 2022 @04:50PM
(#29856701)
Projects to widen freeways face a similar diminishing return. The most value arises from the new capability. Each lane thereafter does not yield linearly increasing returns.
While I might have guessed that, IIRC someone at NASA said that most of the cost is parts, assembly, and testing of a massive, highly sensitive, highly unusual custom build. Many (most?) parts are custom made, and even finding vendors to make them again would be difficult - wasn't the manufacturing completed several years ago? Again, IIRC, they said a second one might even cost more.