Credit, Getty Images
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James E. Webb Shows Rocket Models to President Harry S. Truman During a Visit to NASA’s Newly Opened Headquarters
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NASA, the US space agency, describes James Webb as someone who “did more for science than any other employee” of the US government.
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Many astronomers consider him one of the best directors the space agency has ever had, because under his direction one of the most impressive projects in history was achieved: the landing of man on the moon.
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For the American aerospace industry, James Webb revolutionized the sector in such a way that NASA decided to give his name to the largest space telescope in history.
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After its launch was delayed several times, the telescope finally began its mission. this Saturday (12/25) to search for the first stars that lit up the cosmos.
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The spacecraft cost $10 billion (BRL 57 billion) and took three decades to build. It was originally known as the Next Generation Space Telescope, until in 2002 it was renamed James Webb.
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However, after that decision, some scientists spoke out calling for the telescope to no longer be named Webb, on accusations that it contributed to homophobic policies of the US government.
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After all, who was this man?
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Long career in public service
Credit, Getty Images
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James Webb had a long career in the American public service
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Born in 1906 in a small town in the state of North Carolina, Webb earned a degree in letters. He then joined the armed forces, becoming a second lieutenant in the US Marine Corps, where he later served as a pilot while also studying law.
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In 1932 Webb then began his long career in the American public service as secretary to a member of the US House of Representatives (equivalent to the House of Representatives in Brazil).
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During World War II, he returned to the Marine Corps, where he headed an aviation command and control unit.
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At the end of the war, he returned to Washington and worked in the Office of Management and Budget, before serving as Undersecretary at the State Department from 1949 to 1952 under Harry S. Truman.
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NASA’s most important post
But the height of his career would come nearly 10 years later, when President John F. Kennedy placed Webb in the top position in the US space agency in February 1961: NASA administrator amid the space race with the Russians.
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Webb remained in office for most of the 1960s, at the head of the Apollo program, which fulfilled the dream of man’s journey to the moon.
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“Many believe that James E. Webb … has done more for science than any other government official and that it stands to reason that the Next Generation Space Telescope bears his name,” says the NASA website.
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One of Kennedy’s promises was to get man to the moon before the late 1960s, but Webb thought the space program was more important than a political career, according to the space agency.
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Webb also advocated that NASA strike a balance between conducting human spaceflight and scientific activity, as this would strengthen university education and the American aerospace industry.
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Credit, Getty Images
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John Kennedy and James E. Webb at the White House
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The NASA website says that while Webb was in charge of the agency, he invested in the development of robotic spacecraft, which explored the lunar environment before the astronauts arrived, and sent probes to planets like Mars and Venus.
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When Webb retired in July 1969, NASA had launched more than 75 space missions to study stars like the Sun and Earth’s atmosphere.
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In announcing the new name of the space telescope launched on Saturday (25/12), former NASA director Sean O’Keefe had said in 2002 that it was “appropriate” to honor the work of James Webb.
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“It laid the groundwork for NASA to lead one of the most successful periods of astronomical discoveries,” he said. “With that, we are rewriting textbooks today with the help of the Hubble Space Telescope, the Chandra X-ray Observatory and the James Webb Telescope.”
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accusations
But in addition to achievements in the aerospace sector, Webb also carries in his biography accusations of having contributed to the discrimination of LGBTQIA+ people.
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In March 2021, in a column published by the scientific journal Scientific American, a group of astronomers asked to change the name of the space telescope.
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“Honor (with the honor) is a man who accepted the homophobic policies of government in the 1950s and 1960s,” wrote the authors of the text, referring to Webb’s role as Undersecretary of the Department of State and Director of NASA .
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For these scientists, Webb’s legacy would be “the antithesis of the dream and the feeling of freedom” that inspire the deep exploration of time and space.
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“It is regrettable, therefore, that NASA’s current plan is to launch into space this incredible instrument that bears the name of a man whose legacy is, at best, complicated and, at worst, reflects complicity in homophobic discrimination in government federal government,” defended the authors.
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After an investigation, the space agency said it had found no evidence to justify reversing the James Webb homage.
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