Stalin
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Apr 4, 2008
- Messages
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Possibly the most oustanding achievement in science faces cuts from the vandals in washington.
We are still waiting for cuts in the bloated military and spook budgets.
"The scientists behind NASA's largest and most powerful space telescope ever built are bracing for potentially crippling budget cuts, and the observatory is only halfway through its primary mission.
The team overseeing NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has been directed to prepare for up to 20% in budget cuts that would touch on every aspect of the flagship observatory's operations, which are managed by the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Maryland. The potential cut comes even as the space observatory is more in demand than ever before, with astronomers requesting the equivalent of nine years' worth of Webb observing time in one operational year.
NASA's $25.4 billion budget request for 2025 set aside $317 million to fund the Webb space telescope, as well as the Hubble Space Telescope and Chandra X-ray Observatory that together comprise NASA's currently operational "Great Observatories." The Hubble Telescope program is facing a potential 20% budget cut of its own, according to SpaceNews. And Chandra is facing the end of its mission, with NASA's 2025 budget request including plans to wind down operations, with its budget dropping from $41.1 million this year to just $5.2 million in 2029.
But unlike Hubble, which turns 35 this spring, and Chandra, which launched in 1999, Webb is in its prime, approaching the midpoint of a primary 10-year mission. It could last at least 20 years or more, NASA officials have said. The mission is an international partnership between NASA, the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency.
"Frankly, this mission works far better than, really, most folks expected it to, you know," Brown said during the Webb town hall event on Jan. 15 at the AAS conference. "It's extremely worrisome that, while we're in the middle of the prime mission, we're also maybe looking at significant budget cuts."
comrade stalin
lagrange point
We are still waiting for cuts in the bloated military and spook budgets.
"The scientists behind NASA's largest and most powerful space telescope ever built are bracing for potentially crippling budget cuts, and the observatory is only halfway through its primary mission.
The team overseeing NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has been directed to prepare for up to 20% in budget cuts that would touch on every aspect of the flagship observatory's operations, which are managed by the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Maryland. The potential cut comes even as the space observatory is more in demand than ever before, with astronomers requesting the equivalent of nine years' worth of Webb observing time in one operational year.
NASA's $25.4 billion budget request for 2025 set aside $317 million to fund the Webb space telescope, as well as the Hubble Space Telescope and Chandra X-ray Observatory that together comprise NASA's currently operational "Great Observatories." The Hubble Telescope program is facing a potential 20% budget cut of its own, according to SpaceNews. And Chandra is facing the end of its mission, with NASA's 2025 budget request including plans to wind down operations, with its budget dropping from $41.1 million this year to just $5.2 million in 2029.
But unlike Hubble, which turns 35 this spring, and Chandra, which launched in 1999, Webb is in its prime, approaching the midpoint of a primary 10-year mission. It could last at least 20 years or more, NASA officials have said. The mission is an international partnership between NASA, the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency.
"Frankly, this mission works far better than, really, most folks expected it to, you know," Brown said during the Webb town hall event on Jan. 15 at the AAS conference. "It's extremely worrisome that, while we're in the middle of the prime mission, we're also maybe looking at significant budget cuts."
comrade stalin
lagrange point
