JavaScript in spaaaaace!

James Webb Telescope. NASA Goddard, 2017.

You’ve most likely oooh’d and aaah’d over the stunning photos sent to Earth by the James Webb Space Telescope that was put into service late last year. But what you probably don’t know is that it’s largely controlled by JavaScript, which is despised by nearly everyone. The telescope runs a bunch of scripts, each with its own specific task. When they’re invoked, a program called the script processor interprets these JavaScripts, which then reaches out to other applications and systems necessary to execute the task.

You might ask why such an important piece of scientific equipment relies on technology that isn’t quite cutting edge. The design of such equipment is a long-haul endeavor, started in 1989 for the space telescope. It’s not uncommon to find technology aboard spacecrafts that’s deemed obsolete by the time they’re launched. Besides, using JavaScript has its advantages. NASA’s document says that this way of doing things gives “operations personnel greater visibility, control and flexibility over the telescope operations,” letting them easily adapt the scripts “as they learn the ramifications and subtleties of operating the instruments.”

⇨ The Verge, Mitchell Clark, “The James Webb Space Telescope runs JavaScript, apparently.”

2022-08-18