jueves, 14 de julio de 2011

NASA Chief to Congress: Save the James Webb Space Telescope


NASA chief Charlie Bolden went to bat for the agency's imperiled next-generation space telescope Tuesday (July 12), telling members of Congress that the instrument has greater potential for discovery than the iconic Hubble Space Telescope.

A proposed congressional budget bill announced last week would terminate NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), an ambitious instrument with a history of delays and cost overruns. But NASA can deliver JWST to space for about the same price as Hubble, Bolden said — and the science returns would be even greater.

"I have tried to explain what I think is the importance of James Webb, in terms of opening new horizons far greater than we got from Hubble," Bolden told members of the House Science, Space and Technology committee Tuesday. "I would only say that for about the same cost as Hubble in real-year dollars, we'll bring James Webb into operation. [Spectacular Hubble Telescope Photos]

A rocky history
The $6.5 billion JWST, named after a former NASA administrator, is billed as the agency's muscular successor to Hubble, which launched back in 1990 and is still going strong. JWST is an infrared observatory designed to peer further back into the universe's early days than ever before.

While many researchers have enthusiastically touted the telescope's potential, its development has been plagued by problems. Last November, an independent review panel found that JWST will cost at least $6.5 billion and could launch no earlier than September 2015, putting it $1.5 billion over budget and more than a year behind schedule.

The telescope's issues are primarily the result of poor management practices, the panel further concluded.

A recent budget and technology plan painted an even more pessimistic picture, estimating that JWST could launch by 2018 at the earliest.

And last week, the telescope's future came into even more serious question. The House Appropriations subcommittee that oversees NASA proposed a 2012 spending bill that would give the space agency just $16.8 billion, $1.6 billion less than last year. JWST's funding would be pulled completely.

24 comentarios:

  1. The elimination of space exploration is the first step to societal decapitation.

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  2. How dare they try to rid us of the JWST. I remember a time when the Hubble captured images of Andromeda and that was a truly awesome moment

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  3. Too bad this is happening. The US could have taken over the moon by now if not for war spendings. Space exploration is so awesome, and look whats happening.
    +followed.

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  4. Our government doesn't deal in hope and dreams anymore. We peddle terror and nightmares.

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  5. i think that they don't want this telescope to work for one reason. no telescope = don't need to camouflage aliens on photos (;

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  6. Its kinda sad what they have been doing lately with the space program. Followed

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  7. Our government is being so myopic. Space exploration should be considered a serious investment because that's just our future. At the rate we're going, Earth isn't going to survive our abuse much more.

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  8. They should protect it! This is nonsense :S

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  9. With how big the military budget is in the US, it astounds me that they can consider cutting NASA's budget.

    Truly sad times

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  10. Save it! Followed! alphabetalife.blogspot.com

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  11. No one needs to pull funding from any science structure. Ever.

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  12. Sad that they do things like this, the space program is just the future of mankind. It's unrealistic to believe we'll always abide on earth.
    Anyway, good blog, followed.

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  13. The space program should be a priority for mankind seeing as our ultimate goal in life as a species would be to expand territory and knowledge.

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  14. Amazing! I love science and space!!!!
    +followed
    http://yearningandlearning.blogspot.com/

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  15. "poor management practices" seem to be NASA's Achilles Heel.
    +followed

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  16. nice blog buddy, keep it up!
    +followed

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  17. goodbye all of nasas funding in the near future

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  18. The space program is IMO one of the most important thigs you could invest in... but I guess stupid wars are more important :(

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