Nasa decides to keep name of James Webb Telescope amid protests

After more than a year of protests, NASA closed the issue and decided to keep the name of the James Webb Space Telescope. It is the second time that the American agency reaffirms its position, in the face of protests from the LGBTQIA + astronomical community.

The controversy began in March of last year, when four researchers, Chanda Prescod-Weinstein, Sarah Tuttle, Lucianne Walkowicz and Brian Nord, wrote an article in Scientific American magazine indicating that James Edwin Webb (1906-1992), the honoree by NASA , had supported homophobic government policies in the 1950s.

In contrast to typical NASA spacecraft honorees, Webb was never a scientist. A former military man and bureaucrat, he had important stints at the Budget Office and the State Department, before becoming NASA’s second administrator, in 1961, under John F. Kennedy.

In this role, Webb left a very important legacy, not only redirecting the space agency’s work towards science (which was not immediately obvious, given that the creation of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, meaning the acronym NASA, was basically given to manage the manned space program) as successfully handling the enormous challenge of getting humans to the Moon in the Apollo program.

Webb left before the first lunar trip (Apollo 8) and the first landing (Apollo 11), but his role in America’s success in the space race has never left any doubt.

Even so, the manager was subject to the rules imposed by the federal administration. And there is abundant documentation that the US government promoted, between the 1940s and 1950s, the active search and dismissal of homosexual employees, a historical episode that more recently gained the name of “Lavender Scare” (“lavender terror”, in a free translation). ).

Webb’s complicity with the discriminatory policy is especially pointed out during his performance as undersecretary of state, between 1949 and 1952. Documentation shows that the bureaucrat was aware of and participated in discussions on the subject at least since 1950, even though he was not the originator of the practice or there was any evidence that was personally favorable to it.

For those who question the homage, this is of little relief. Write the astronomers in Scientific American: “Records clearly show that Webb planned and attended meetings in which he delivered homophobic material. There is no record that he chose to defend the humanity of those being persecuted. As someone in management, Webb had responsibility for policies pursued. under his leadership, including the homophobic ones that were in vogue when he became NASA administrator.”

late move

The decision to baptize the new space telescope with the name of James Webb was taken by NASA in 2002, without consulting the astronomical community (as, by the way, is usual).

There is wider awareness of the “lavender terror” at least since 2004. Even so, the move to request a review of the decision came belatedly.

After the article in Scientific American and the creation of a petition for the renaming last year, NASA management asked the agency’s chief historian, Brian Odom, to review NASA’s documentation regarding Webb and discriminatory practices.

Nothing was found, and in September 2021, Administrator Bill Nelson issued a short statement saying that the agency “has found no evidence at this time to demand a name change”. Still, there was promise of a deeper investigation into Webb’s activities, including his tenure at the State Department.

This is where we are now, with the release this month of the final report of that investigation. The most critical points analyzed were meetings Webb attended in June 1950 alongside President Harry Truman, discussing whether they should cooperate with Congressional investigators seeking information about State Department officials.

Then Webb would pass along to a North Carolina senator “some material on the subject” prepared by one of his colleagues. “To date, there is no direct evidence available linking Webb to any actions to emerge from this discussion,” Odom’s report said.

The report also describes the firing of Clifford Norton, a NASA employee fired in 1963 for being gay. But it concludes that there is no evidence that Webb knew about the dismissal and points out that the policy of excluding LGBTQIA+ professionals was in charge of the Civil Service Commission, not of agencies like NASA.

opposition remains

While NASA has decided to preserve Webb’s name for the telescope, that doesn’t oblige the astronomical community to like the decision.

The Royal Astronomical Society of the United Kingdom has decided that, in its publications, at least for the time being, it will use only the acronym JWST, instead of the full name of the telescope. The American Astronomical Society took it more lightly, leaving it up to the researchers themselves, who do not need to include the full name in their articles in their first mention, as is customary with the use of other acronyms.

On the part of the space agency, the controversy spawned a new policy. Going forward, a committee will be formed, including a historian, to conduct a “thorough legal and historical review” before naming any of its missions or facilities.