SCIENCE science.org 3 DECEMBER 2021 • VOL 374 ISSUE 6572 1175EDITORIAL
G
overnment investment in big, innovative science
changes the world—it has allowed us to witness
the collision of black holes, create a Global Posi-
tioning System that we can carry in our pockets,
and unlock the human genome. Government
investments in big research and infrastructure
yield ever bigger breakthroughs. The James
Webb Space Telescope (JWST), scheduled for liftoff on
22 December, represents a major international commit-
ment. It will more than return its cost in extraordinary
discoveries, new technologies, and inspiration to fuel
a more diverse science and technology workforce. In
short, like most big science infrastructure projects, it’s
a capital investment in a smarter and brighter future.
JWST has been in develop-
ment since the mid-1990s when
the astronomy and astrophys-
ics community began thinking
about the next great observatory
to follow the Hubble Space Tele-
scope. The new telescope would
use a 6.6-m segmented primary
mirror to detect near- and mid-
infrared wavelengths of radia-
tion. The large size of the mirror,
and its even larger sunshade,
require it to be tightly folded to
fit inside its rocket fairing for
launch. The configuration is so
intricate that deployment will
take about 1 month after a 30-
day, 1.5-million-km journey to
the second Sun–Earth Lagrange point. Science opera-
tions should begin about 4 months later, but the highly
anticipated first images could come sooner.
JWST will rival Hubble in terms of revolutionary data.
The Hubble telescope helped scientists confirm the exis-
tence of supermassive black holes, determine the age of
the Universe (approximately 13.7 billion years), and re-
alize that galaxies formed in the Universe much earlier
than expected, among other discoveries. It also transmit-
ted breathtaking images of an otherwise unimaginable
universe. The JWST’s instruments will study the structure
of the first galaxies from 100 to 250 million years after
the Big Bang, expand our understanding of the evolution
of stars and protoplanetary systems, and probe questions
such as the role of black holes in the early Universe. Some
of the most exciting results will come from observing the
atmospheres of planets around other stars and assess-
ing their potential to harbor life. Given the large number
of exoplanets identified over the past decade, JWST willhave a rich set of targets to explore, giving us new insight
into the ubiquity of environments that could harbor life
beyond Earth. The Decadal Survey on Astronomy and
Astrophysics released last month confirmed that the sci-
ence that the JWST will do is still the highest priority.
Cost overruns and schedule slips of JWST have gener-
ated headlines, echoing Hubble. But nearly doubling in
cost to $9.7 billion and launching years past its origi-
nally scheduled date overshadow innovative features
behind the bugs: technologies that will enable future
telescopes to better block out light and operate at ul-
tracold temperatures. Developing, building, and test-
ing the telescope pushed what we knew how to do. The
hard lessons learned about program management will
benefit future missions. There
are still numerous risks—among
them over 300 steps necessary
to deploy the mirrors and sun-
shade in deep space, far beyond
the reach of human hands to
repair (at least any time soon).
But big breakthroughs involve
big risk. If you fail, you learn,
and then try again.
The telescope will see first
light in a very different time
from when it was originally con-
ceived—so much the better. The
astronomy and astrophysics
community has led the NASA
community to remove bias from
research proposal selection.
When the Space Telescope Science Institute established
double-blind review for observation time on Hubble, it
more than doubled the number of successful first-time
proposers and reduced the difference in success rate for
women compared to men from over 6% to less than 1%.
This will continue with JWST, creating a more level and
diverse playing field and, as research shows, an even
stronger and smarter scientific field.
The JWST will lift off on an Ariane 5 rocket from the
European Space Agency’s French Guiana launch site. The
hopes of the astronomy and astrophysics community, and
the eyes of the world, will lift with it. Peering back to the
origins of the Universe will reveal answers to questions
we never thought to ask, and studying planets around
other stars will revolutionize the way we think about
the evolution of planets, including our own. Big science
doesn’t just answer questions, it asks them—and sends
humanity down new paths it could have never conceived.
–Ellen StofanHubble’s successor, at last
Ellen Stofan
is the under
secretary for Science
and Research,
Smithsonian
Institution,
Washington, DC,
USA, and is a
member of the
Space Telescope
Institute Council.
[email protected]10.1126/science.abn
PHOTO: JIM PRESTON/SMITHSONIAN NATIONAL AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM
“Peering back to
the origins of the
Universe will
reveal answers
to questions we never
thought to ask...”