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IL – US Space LeadershipCutting Webb destroys US space dominance Julianne, 11 [Julianne, “James Webb Space Telescope”, July 2011, http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2011/07/07/why-we-need-the-james-webb-space-telescope/] The demise of JWST would be a huge blow to american space-based astronomy as well. On the ground, the US has ceded much of its historical primacy to the Europeans. If JWST were cancelled, it would be a heavy blow to the US dominance in running true space-based observatories. NASA will continue to run “experiments” in space — i.e., targeted smaller missions focused on limited scientific goals, but they will be giving up their unique place in creating flagship facilities that literally anyone can potentially use. The impact of Hubble came in large part because it wasn’t a specific experiment for one particular problem. It has broad capabilities, that were kept up to date with servicing missions, but using those capabilities was then essentially “crowd-sourced” to the entire world. Through on-going rigorous, and frankly brutal, evaluations of scientific proposals, the community identifies the single most important scientific questions to be addressed by Hubble. This process is carried out every single year, making sure that Hubble gets the most bang for the buck. The same process also applied to NASA’s other “flagship” missions (e.g., Chandra, Spitzer), focused on other wavelengths, but these facilities too are rapidly running out of time. Cancelling the JWST deals a massive blow towards US leadership. Frumforum.com 7/17 – (Kenneth Silber – senior editor for Research, “Don’t Surrender Our Telescope Advantage,” July 7, 2011, http://www.frumforum.com/dont-surrender-our-telescope-advantage Congressional Republicans are moving to terminate a federal project that has been plagued by cost overruns and delays. Good news? No. The project is the James Webb Space Telescope, and scrapping it would be an egregiously shortsighted and wasteful decision. The James Webb Space Telescope, or JWST, is the planned successor to the Hubble Space Telescope as NASA’s flagship space-based observatory. Hubble has provided a remarkable wealth of images and data — such as the deepest-ever look into the universe — but its technology is obsolescent and expected to cease functioning in several years (and with space shuttles no longer flying, Hubble will not get any further servicing calls). JWST would operate about a million miles from Earth (Hubble is just a few hundred miles up) using advanced instruments to detect light from distant and faint objects; the far-off locale would provide excellent conditions for avoiding unwanted light and heat. The telescope would be optimized for infrared observations, enabling it to peer through dust clouds into the birthplaces of stars and the origins and early development of galaxies. No less exciting, JWST would be aimed at taking images of planets beyond our solar system and seeking signs of water and other factors relevant to possible life. On July 13, the House Science, Space and Technology Committee approved a bill that would scrap JWST. A subcommittee earlier in the month recommended the move as part of a plan to cut NASA’s overall budget, stating that JWST “is billions of dollars over budget and plagued by poor management.” The bill would fund NASA at $16.8 billion for 2012, which is $1.6 billion less than the 2011 level and $1.9 billion below what the White House requested. The telescope’s fate awaits full votes by the House and Senate. JWST has indeed had problems. The telescope’s total cost is projected at between $6.2 billion and $6.8 billion, up from an earlier estimate of $5.1 billion. Its launch date, once slated for 2013, was pushed back first to 2015 and then, as budget worries mounted, to 2018. It is fair to say NASA has not lived up to the high administrative standard set by the project’s namesake, Apollo-era agency chief James Webb. Still, scrapping the telescope is folly. For one thing, much of the money – about $3 billion — has already been spent; much of the hardware already exists and unlike an unused Saturn V rocket would not even have the merit of serving as an interesting tourist attraction. Furthermore, NASA already has reorganized the project’s management following a report last year by an independent task force. Above all, the cancellation would be a massive blow, substantive as well as symbolic, to U.S. leadership and competence in science and technology. The damage would be felt far beyond the astronomical community and the scientific and technological workforce involved with the project. It would mean tossing away a powerful educational tool for cultivating scientific interest and literacy in the first place. It would suggest that being on the cutting edge of research is increasingly not an option in America. IL – Jobs/ResearchCutting Webb undermines space research and increase unemployment Space Politics 7/9 – (Space Politics, “More Concerns about the House NASA Budget,” July 7, 2011, http ://www.spacepolitics.com/2011/07/09/more-concerns-about-the-house-nasa-budget/, K.C.) Telescope (JWST), effectively ending the program. The American Astronomical Society (AAS) released a statement Thursday calling on Congress to “support JWST to its completion” but also “provide strong oversight” for a project that has suffered major cost overruns and schedule delays. “It is time to complete construction and look ahead to JWST’s launch and science operations,” the AAS statement notes. The proposed termination of JWST has attracted the attention of Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), who chairs the corresponding appropriations subcommittee in the Senate. “It was a shortsighted and misguided move,” she said in a statement about the House appropriators’ decision to kill the project, noting that ending JWST would “kill 2,000 jobs nationwide and stall scientific progress and discovery.” She also called on the White House to “step in and fight for the James Webb Telescope.” Rep. Donna Edwards (D-MD) also made similar comments about the attempt to kill JWST. “I worry about the message we send to our students to reach for the stars and pursue careers in the sciences while simultaneously eliminating projects that further research and technology and keep us on the cutting edge of competitiveness,” she said. Webb Telescope key to new jobs in our new economy and space mysteries MSNBC 7/12 – (Denise Chow – New York Daily News, degree in journalism from New York University and a bachelor's degree from the University of Toronto, Space.com, “Plan to scrap new telescope riles up scientists,” July 12, 2011, http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43727897/ns/technology_and_science-space/) mihe The idea of canceling the JWST project has been met with strong criticism from lawmakers and scientists, who consider the decision shortsighted. "The Webb telescope will lead to the kind of innovation and discovery that have made America great," Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) said in a statement. "It will inspire America's next generation of scientists and innovators that will have the new ideas that lead to the new jobs in our new economy. The administration must step in and fight for the James Webb Telescope." In the statement released by the American Astronomical Society (AAS), members of the organization said that the JWST is critical to helping astronomers better understand the earliest formation of stars and planets, and the telescope's operation will shed light on complex mysteries of the universe. "As was true with the Hubble Space Telescope, recognized as a tremendous success by the public, scientists and policymakers, building the most advanced telescopes comes with the risk of unexpected costs and delays," AAS committee members said in a statement. Canceling the JWST would not only affect program members at various NASA centers, it would likely also deal a blow to Northrop Grumman, the company contracted by NASA to build the telescope. Yet even with the future of the observatory hanging by a thread, the company said the outcome remains to be seen. "The budget process in Congress is a complex and dynamic one," said Northrop Grumman spokesman Lon Rains. "We do not speculate on or try to predict the outcome of the process or what impact it may have on Northrop Grumman; however, we continue to closely monitor the budget process as it progresses. More than 75 percent of the hardware for the James Webb Telescope is built, undergoing testing or completed. We are working closely with NASA to deliver the Webb telescope as the agency directs." Directory: file -> view view -> Western Europe after wwii view -> Author study: paul fleischman view -> Qpa1 7ela study Guide view -> Arctic Oil/Gas Neg view -> November 1970 Approximately 150,000-500,000 deaths Bhola Cyclone Bangladesh view -> Grade Level: 6 Unit of Study: Caribbean glce view -> Citation: Duffield, Katy view -> Table of Contents Lesson # view -> Chinese Wind Energy Disad Download 0.51 Mb. Share with your friends:
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