Should we put human spaceflight on hold?

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From ScienceProgress:

The biggest controversy in the world of astronomy today is the James Webb Space Telescope, the successor to the wildly popular Hubble Space Telescope.

The controversy is budgetary: Webb’s estimated cost has risen from $1.6 billion, a decade ago, to $8.7 billion today. Of this $500 million is due to the addition of a five-year operating budget. But the rest is a huge cost overrun. The most recent estimate of $8.7 billion represents a $2.2 billion increase over the previous estimate by an independent panel last year.

Lawmakers are left to wonder: Will the spiraling costs ever end?

Given enough funding the Webb could launch in 2018. Scientists believe they have solved the complex instrument’s technical issues, so this is primarily a money issue.

Full piece here.

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