[FOTZeiss] Fw: James Webb Telescope - Statement

[Glenn A. Walsh]

FYI

gaw

Glenn A. Walsh, Project Director,
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--- On Thu, 7/7/11, Jim Caffey <jcaffey at drury.edu> wrote:

> From: Jim Caffey <jcaffey at drury.edu>
> Subject: [DOME-L:4470] James Webb Telescope- Statement
> To: "dome-l at googlegroups.com" <dome-l at googlegroups.com>
> Date: Thursday, July 7, 2011, 3:36 PM

> American Astronomical Society
> Statement on the James Webb Space Telescope
> 
>  
> 
> Adopted 7 July 2011
> 
>  
> 
> The proposal released on July 6 by the House Appropriations
> Subcommittee for Commerce, Justice, Science and Related
> Agencies to terminate the James Webb Space Telescope would
> waste more taxpayer dollars than it saves while
> simultaneously undercutting the critical effort to utilize
> American engineering and ingenuity to expand human
> knowledge. Such a proposal threatens American leadership in
> the fields of astrophysics and advanced space technology
> while likely eliminating hundreds, if not thousands, of
> high-tech jobs. Additionally, this proposal comes before the
> completion of a revised construction plan and budget for a
> launch of JWST by 2018. The United States position as the
> leader in astronomy, space science, and spaceflight is
> directly threatened by this proposal.
> 
>  
> 
> The JWST is the highest-ranked mission in the National
> Academy of Science's Astronomy and Astrophysics decadal
> survey released in 2000 and remains a high priority for the
> Nation's astronomers in this decade as well, as the
> revolutionary successor to the Hubble Space Telescope. This
> survey, conducted once every 10 years by hundreds of the
> Nation's leading scientists, prioritizes -- based on
> scientific merit and impact -- projects proposed by the
> scientific community that require significant government
> support for completion. These reports represent a community
> consensus on the efforts necessary to advance our knowledge
> of the universe. The potential of JWST to transform
> astronomy underlies many of the activities recommended in
> the 2010 decadal report released last August. JWST is
> designed to observe well beyond Hubble's capabilities. It is
> expected to serve thousands of astronomers in the coming
> decades to revolutionize our understanding of our place in
> the Universe, just as Hubble has done since its completion
> and launch just over two decades ago.
> 
>  
> 
> The JWST's completion, launch, and operation will unveil
> new knowledge about the earliest formation of stars and
> planets and on a wide range of additional advanced
> scientific questions, including many not yet formulated. As
> was true with the Hubble Space Telescope, recognized as a
> tremendous success by the public, scientists, and
> policy-makers, building the most advanced telescopes comes
> with the risk of unexpected costs and delays. However, the
> whole Nation can rightly take pride in the engineering and
> scientific accomplishment that the completion and launch of
> such instruments represents. With the help of important
> international partners, we are the only nation that could
> lead such an effort; we should not shirk from completing the
> project when the most difficult engineering challenges have
> already been overcome. As stated in the Casani report, an
> independent review of project readiness completed late last
> year, "The JWST Project has made excellent progress in
> developing the difficult technologies required for its
> successful operation, and no technical constraints to
> successful completion have been identified." The mirrors
> stand ready and waiting for integration into the spacecraft.
> The telescope has passed both preliminary design review and
> critical design review. It is time to complete construction
> and look ahead to JWST's launch and science operations.
> 
>  
> 
> The American Astronomical Society calls upon all members of
> Congress to support JWST to its completion and to provide
> strong oversight on the path to this goal. Too many taxpayer
> dollars have already been spent to cancel the mission now;
> its benefits far outweigh the remaining costs. We must see
> the mission through. We are a great nation and we do great
> things.  JWST represents our highest aspirations and
> will be one of our most significant accomplishments.
> 
> -- 
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