‘Space, the Final Frontier’

As we begin 2022, there are incredibly important and frightening things to consider: the relentless attack on our democracy by the Republican Party and their constituents; whether the Senate has the ability to convince Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema that voting rights and democracy are more important than their personal concerns for their jobs; and the coming 1.5C climate tipping point, which is barreling toward us as the world does virtually nothing to arrest climate change.

In the midst of all this chaos, the world was given a wonderful Christmas present, which both nations, divided by climate change and immigration/migration issues, and red and blue states, divided by electoral politics, could feel good about: the James Webb Telescope. The telescope, which cost $10 billion and took 30 years to develop, was paid for and made cooperatively by 13 nations (Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States). Parts were assembled across all of these nations, tested in the U.S., in both red and blue states, and launched in French Guiana.

James Webb is a telescope capable of seeking out the earliest and most distant stars and galaxies, giving us insights into the origin of the universe and whether we share the universe with other planets capable of supporting life. It is designed to see farther into space and further back in time than anything humanity has done before. Its mission is to seek out the earliest and most distant stars and galaxies that appeared, out of the Big Bang, 13.7 billion years ago. Along the way, it will be looking for signs of life on other planets. It is both a scientific miracle and a shining example of the reality that despite our differences we can still cooperate on large, inspiring planet-changing issues.