【MusEros Museum of Eroticism】

One of the most momentous rocket launches in history looms large.

The MusEros Museum of Eroticismcolossal James Webb Space Telescope — intended to peer into the deepest realms of the universe — is now perched atop a rocket in French Guiana. As of Dec. 17, NASA expects to launch the prized instrument, commonly dubbed JWST, on Dec. 24.

"We're going to see the very first stars and galaxies that ever formed," Jean Creighton, an astronomer and the director of the Manfred Olson Planetarium at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, told Mashable in October.

Mashable Light Speed Want more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories? Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

---

You May Also Like

---

---

JWST will orbit the sun a million miles from Earth. Both the public and scientists alike are getting their final views of the dazzling telescope (it's built with gold-plated mirrors) before a reliable Ariane 5 rocket blasts JWST well beyond our planet. The photos below show the telescope in various stages of testing, folding, and final preparation.

A successful launch, however, would just be the start of JWST's ambitious odyssey to view the deepest cosmos. The telescope, now tightly packed on a rocket, must unfurl in space. That's no simple task. After leaving Earth, JWST will "begin the most complex sequence of deployments ever attempted in a single space mission," explained NASA. For example, 107 pins must release for the telescope's great sunshield, which is the length of a tennis court, to properly unfold.

If all goes well, JWST will:

• Peer some 13.7 billion years into the past, glimpsing the first planets and galaxies

• See stars and galaxies currently hidden beyond thick clouds of cosmic dust

• View wild exoplanets in far-off solar systems

---

A technician elevated above the James Webb Space Telescope during testing reveals the instrument's enormous size. Credit: NASA / Chris Gunn On Dec. 11, technicians clad in special suits attached the James Webb Space Telescope to an Ariane 5 rocket. Credit: ESA / M. Pedoussaut Northrop Grumman technicans run tests on the James Webb Space Telescope in July 2021. Credit: Northrop Grumman NASA tests the James Webb Space Telescope's mirrors in a cryogenic room. Credit: NASA / MSFC / David Higginbotham On Dec. 11, the Jame Webb Space Telescope is lowered onto an Ariane 5 rocket in an assembly building. Credit: ESA / M.Pedoussaut The James Webb Space Telescope is secured atop an Ariane 5 rocket. Credit: ESA / M.Pedoussaut Part of the Ariane 5 rocket that will carry the James Webb Space Telescope into space. Credit: ESA / CNES / Arianespace The brilliant, hexagonal, gold-plated mirrors of the James Webb Space Telescope. Credit: NASA / Desiree Stover

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

• Science
• Social Good
• Life
• Deals
• Games
• Shopping
• Entertainment
• Digital Culture

• Best travel deal: Score the Frontier Go Wild! summer pass for just $399
• Gorillaz team up with Pandora for a TMI glimpse into the music that shaped their sound
• Cat bravely interrupts baseball game and basically asks for a spot on the team
• Sea level rise could send U.S. 'climate migrants' fleeing to Austin, Atlanta
• Best Sonos deal: Save $50 on Sonos Era 100
• United just made it a little harder for you to get bumped off a flight
• Han Solo movie directors 'accidentally' reveal secret creature on set
• People are pretty unimpressed that a bunch of American guys formed a K
• Apple iPhone 17 Pro leaks highlight major new design change
• This marathon VR binge

• The FBI paid $900,000 to break into the San Bernardino iPhone
• Secretive military space plane lands in Florida with a sonic boom
• NASA needs your help to speed up its supercomputer code
• 'SNL' cuts the sexual tension on 'Morning Joe' with an awkward knife
• Amazon tests out newspaper delivery to complete its takeover of everything
• 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2' kicks off summer blockbuster season with a big bang
• We have a few questions about Dove's new 'body positive' soap bottles
• Facebook fights fake news with print newspaper ads
• Lena Dunham drags magazine's 'diet tips' after it puts her on the cover
• Online jobs: How to dodge scams and time

• Best rope light deal: Save 25% on Lepro N1 AI Smart RGB LED Strip Lights
• Your overbearing dad Mark Zuckerberg told some rough jokes at F8
• Sweet dad cheers up embarrassed daughter with an 'accident' of his own
• How WhatsApp brings my family closer together
• The Made in America iPhone: How much would it cost?
• Pokémon makeup is here, and it's just as cute as you'd expect
• Your friendly neighborhood Spider
• Lorde sings Kanye West's 'Runaway' to all the 'douchebags' at Coachella
• Trump's science adviser pick is actually a good scientist
• Those food stalls you love about Bangkok are about to disappear from Bangkok

• Musetti vs. Diallo 2025 livestream: Watch Madrid Open for free
• 'Star Wars' director confirms the last Jedi's identity
• Pokémon makeup is here, and it's just as cute as you'd expect
• People are pretty unimpressed that a bunch of American guys formed a K
• Mary Shows Up
• 'League of Legends' breaks out a black hole for its latest game mode
• Starbucks unicorn frappuccinos to grace Earth for a limited time
• Zuckerberg: Facebook's next focus is building community
• Acupuncture for pets is on the rise
• How WhatsApp brings my family closer together