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Re:Webb discovers new feature in Jupiter's atmosphere by eimrine on Saturday October 28, 2023 @01:21PM (#38051637)
Can Webb be used for military purposes (observing Earth)?
Re:Webb discovers new feature in Jupiter's atmosphere by feoren on Saturday October 28, 2023 @01:41PM (#38051852)
No, it can't be pointed at the inner solar system or Earth; too bright, and its heat shield would point the wrong way.

But the military doesn't need it. Supposedly some military tech was declassified recently showing that the military had Hubble-level telescopes about 15 years before Hubble. So whatever they are using is much better (and more specialized, of course) than Webb.

Re:Webb discovers new feature in Jupiter's atmosphere by wredue on Saturday October 28, 2023 @01:53PM (#38051966)
Not sure the technology needed is quite the same.

They probably have better up there, but we know that military satellites are able to see the individual poles in a chain link fence crisply due to Trump leaking that capability a few years ago on twitter.

Re:Webb discovers new feature in Jupiter's atmosphere by euroderf on Saturday October 28, 2023 @02:23PM (#38052166)
Sure, the military had the test rig to pre-flight test Hubble's optics, except that someone slipped up and well dang, Hubble needed corrective lenses.
Re:Webb discovers new feature in Jupiter's atmosphere by eep_social on Saturday October 28, 2023 @06:15PM (#38053911)
Here’s an article from 2012 describing the military donating two unlaunched hubble-class telescopes to NASA: https://newatlas.com/spysatellite/22813/
Re:Webb discovers new feature in Jupiter's atmosphere by mkwarman on Saturday October 28, 2023 @01:35PM (#38051799)
Re:Webb discovers new feature in Jupiter's atmosphere by mathstuf on Saturday October 28, 2023 @02:28PM (#38052218)
Webb can only point away from Earth as the Sun is on the other side of Earth from Webb's location. All it would see is a bright source of IR; nothing much useful there. I'm afraid it would also likely be destroyed in the process as it is assuming near-absolute-zero temperatures for much of its instruments.
Re:Webb discovers new feature in Jupiter's atmosphere by gustavus on Saturday October 28, 2023 @04:13PM (#38052995)
An exhaustive, through and entertaining answer to that question (for the bubble) is provided here

https://what-if.xkcd.com/32/

The short answer is not really and drones are better for it anyway.