SPIE, an international society for optics and photonics, is objecting to a decision by the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice and Space to terminate the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).
Ending the JWST project would waste billions of taxpayer dollars that have already been invested, undermine American leadership and innovation in space technology, and eliminate much-needed jobs and economic growth, SPIE asserts in a recent letter to the U.S. House of Representatives.
Society leadership are urging that JWST, with more than 75 percent of its hardware already delivered, be fully funded and seen to its completion.
SPIE fully supports improved and informed oversight of all federal spending on science and technology and recognises the importance of beginning to reduce the deficit, but urges appropriators to make fiscally sound choices about reductions, the letter says.
NASA's 2012 budget proposal asked Congress for $375 million for JWST for the coming year. It takes decades for space telescope missions to be fulfilled, and due to their duration and complexity, it is imperative that NASA be provided with a stable, long-term budget to avoid inefficiencies and achieve its missions, the SPIE letter noted.
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