Although some astronomers reacted with dismay at the time, many in the community believed the opportunity to rename the telescope had passed. The allegations of Webb's complicity in persecution received broader public attention about six years ago. The name of such an important mission, which promises to live in the popular and scientific psyche for decades, should be a reflection of our highest values. Now that we know of Webb's silence at State and his actions at NASA, we think it is time to rename JWST. Webb might have played a positive role at NASA, but his greater legacy beyond the agency is also relevant. But while appreciation and nostalgia are important, they are not sufficient. Many astronomers feel a debt of gratitude for Webb's work as NASA administrator and are appreciative of and nostalgic for the time during the Apollo program when the space agency thrived.
NASA JAMES WEBB SERIES
Johnson's 2004 book on the subject, The Lavender Scare, discusses archival evidence indicating that Webb, along with others in State Department leadership, was involved in Senate discussions that ultimately kicked off a devastating series of federal policies. As early as 1950, he was aware of this policy, which was a forerunner to the antigay witch hunt known today as the lavender scare.
When he was at State, this policy was enforced by those who worked under him.
When he arrived at NASA in 1961, his leadership role meant he was in part responsible for implementing what was by then federal policy: the purging of LGBT individuals from the workforce. He later oversaw the Apollo program as NASA administrator. Truman included advancing the development of psychological warfare as a cold war tool. Department of State under President Harry S. James Webb, who died in 1992, was a career civil servant whose time at the U.S. It is unfortunate, therefore, that NASA's current plan is to launch this incredible instrument into space carrying the name of a man whose legacy at best is complicated and at worst reflects complicity in homophobic discrimination in the federal government. These kinds of data not only provide insight into the universe but also help us humans situate our earthly concerns in context. Slated to launch later this year, JWST will peer farther into the universe than any optical or infrared telescope before it and could show us galaxies in their infancy, probe potentially habitable worlds and explore the mysteries of dark energy. The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), often called “the next Hubble,” promises to do even better. Because of its ability to see more deeply into spacetime than any instrument before it, the Hubble Space Telescope has completely transformed the way we see the universe-and ourselves.
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