--- title: "Memers Rejoice and Troll as James Webb Space Telescope Allegedly Prepares For Liftoff" description: "The world's newest space telescope that's been decades in the making is supposedly going to take off on Christmas Day and you best believe there's memes about it." date: "2021-12-23" modified: "2021-12-23" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/james-webb-memes" categories: - "James Webb Space Telescope" - "NASA" - "Space" tags: - "james webb space telescope" - "memes" - "Spaceflight" --- # Memers Rejoice and Troll as James Webb Space Telescope Allegedly Prepares For Liftoff ![The world's newest space telescope that's been decades in the making is supposedly going to take off on Christmas Day and you best believe the internet has something to say about it.]() *\Image: Redditor jt\_ftc\_8942\* The world's newest space telescope, decades in the making, is [supposedly going to take off]() on Christmas Day — and you best believe the internet has something to say about it. NASA announced yesterday that the uber-expensive James Webb Space Telescope — controversially named after the former NASA administrator who also helped [purge gays from the State Department]() — should be cleared for liftoff on December 25. As space-watchers' anticipation reaches a fever pitch, so too have the memes been flowing. Here's some of our favs: ## James Webb Trans Telescope https://twitter.com/Daylight44492/status/1471024875187806209 Posted on one of the dates the JWST was supposed to be launched, this cute little illustration feels like a double entendre because of Webb's homophobia. It might not have been enough to [get NASA to rename the successor to the Hubble](), but it sure did make this astrophysics fanart even more satisfying. ## IYKYK \[embed\]https://ibb.co/h899W2n[/embed\] Referencing both the "[photography is my passion]()"-ass photo NASA used to announce that it was delaying the launch of the JWST for the third time in six weeks and those launch delays themselves, this meme is *meta*, a primary flavor enjoyed by space nerds. ## You Belong With Me https://twitter.com/katiemel25/status/1470986869827584000 This crossover meme takes the lengthy timeline of the JWST's development and mashes it up with the pan-Twitter trend of threading random things that ostensibly "look like" usually-female celebrities. To their credit, this user was very thorough and [saw it all the way through](). ## Clown Paint https://twitter.com/_astronomay/status/1470940992975028228 Because the JWST schedule has been repeatedly "slipped" — NASA parlance for delayed — this one speaks for itself, and is even funnier to see on yet another missed scheduled launched day. ## Happiest Season ![]() If the telescope does, in fact, end up being launched on Christmas, it will invariably be a gift to humankind — but there's no reason memers can't have a little fun with it. **More on JWST:** [*Scientists Are “Terrified” of NASA's James Webb Telescope Launch*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()