Well, my practice runs at blogging are now complete, so my choice in this the official inauguration of this effort is to jump right into the financial/political fire pit with a project that has become something to which I am strongly interested, the development of the James Webb Space Telescope. (The collection of telescopes in my online store don’t come near the size or intricacy of this 21+ foot giant, but entry into the niche of optics has expanded my interest beyond my equipment closet and the Webb project.)The project has been destined for the dumper what with the so called budget crisis being the centerpiece of attention rather than the President’s “Investment in the Future of America” which was a major thought pattern of his 2011 State of the Union Address. With OMB looking closely at a plan to perform a card shuffle with NASA’s budget to make the increases and time frame changes workable, there remains the possibility that a working change in budget will keep the project (whew!) alive.
At least for now, the potential is there while the rest of us (amateur, professional, and sideline astronomers) wait for what will come from congressional appropriations actions. As I see it, it would be my expectation that there will be two potentials to come out of all of this: The tea partiers’ will push to kill it, or table it. Either way the whole thing could be road kill.
Well, these are my thoughts on this subject for the time being. I’m staying tentative on this potential verdict and the meantime, I’m going back to open the store.
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