[TexasGator]

“because their average speed...is a staggering 22,500 mph.”

one-third the velocity of the telescope.

[DoodleBob]

This is EXACTLY why I am highly skeptical that "aliens" are actual organically-derived life forms from outside our solar system.

Can you imagine the kind of damage a microasteroid would do to a spacecraft cruising at light-speed? And compound that likelihood across scores of light years over many years/decades.

Aliens are real. They're just not what many people think they are.

[zeestephen]

The telescope is no longer moving away from the Earth, so it only has L-2 orbital speed, plus, Solar System speed, which is 67,000 mph, according to Google, which might be what you meant about the telescope moving 3X faster.

I calculated the L-2 orbital speed a couple months ago. From memory - about 2,000 mph.