Along with my fellow scientists,
I’ve been dreaming and thinking
about the James Webb Space about the James Webb Space
Telescope since 1995. It’s the Telescope since 1995. It’s the
most important scientifi c project most important scientifi c project
I could imagine working on—100 I could imagine working on—100
times more powerful than its times more powerful than its
precursor, the Hubble Space precursor, the Hubble Space
Telescope.Telescope.
To me, Webb is an engineer-To me, Webb is an engineer-
ing miracle. It’s a people miracle ing miracle. It’s a people miracle
too; over 10,000 scientists, too; over 10,000 scientists,
engineers, and others worked on engineers, and others worked on
it. Who can we thank for Webb’s it. Who can we thank for Webb’s
success, now that it’s up in success, now that it’s up in
space and taking sharp pictures space and taking sharp pictures
just as we hoped? just as we hoped?
Greg is our program director Greg is our program director
at NASA headquarters, and to at NASA headquarters, and to
build such an engineering mar-build such an engineering mar-
vel and scientifi c success, he vel and scientifi c success, he
channeled the forces of human channeled the forces of human
nature and ingenuity: NASA, the nature and ingenuity: NASA, the
U.S. House of Representatives U.S. House of Representatives
and Senate, the European and and Senate, the European and
Canadian space agencies, Canadian space agencies,
Northrop Grumman, the launch-Northrop Grumman, the launch-
vehicle company Arianespace in vehicle company Arianespace in
France, and the Space Telescope France, and the Space Telescope
Science Institute, where we com-Science Institute, where we com-
mand the telescope. Our teams mand the telescope. Our teams
orbit around Greg, because we orbit around Greg, because we
trust him to ask questions and trust him to ask questions and
understand our concerns and understand our concerns and
respect our opinions. He makes respect our opinions. He makes
it look easy, but I can barely it look easy, but I can barely
imagine how he does it, and I imagine how he does it, and I
admire him tremendously for it.admire him tremendously for it.Mather is an astrophysicist at Mather is an astrophysicist at
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight NASA’s Goddard Space Flight
Center and a Nobel laureateCenter and a Nobel laureateto appear on a presidential ticket in
Brazil. Today, as executive coordina-
tor of the Articulation of Indigenous
Peoples of Brazil, Sônia Guajajara is
on the front line of the fi ght against
the Bolsonaro government’s at-
tempt to destroy Indigenous lands,
along with the Amazon rain forest.
Her work ranges from attending
COP26—which created a $1.7 bil-
lion fund for Indigenous peoples and
local communities recognizing their
essential work protecting land and
forests from degradation—to recent
months when she led thousands-strong protests, bringing together
hundreds of Indigenous ethnic
groups, which have helped to stall
a “death package” of anti-Indigenous
legislation. She has also brought na-
tional attention to the trampling of
Indigenous rights during the COVID-
19 pandemic. Sônia is an inspiration,
not just for me, but for millions of
Brazilians who dream of a country
that settles its debts with its past
and fi nally welcomes the future.Boulos is a coordinator at the Home-
less Workers’ Movement of BrazilGregory L.
RRobinsonobinson
Peering into the universePeering into the universe
B Y J O H N M AT H E RB Y J O H N M AT H E RGUAJAJARA: REUTERS; ROBINSON SOURCE PHOTO: CHRIS GUNN/NASA
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