Now that the Hubble has been saved (read more here) until 2012, we will not go blind anytime soon. But I recently read that the next generation telescope will be called the James Webb Space Telescope. While some have been critical of the naming of a NASA item after a "bureaucrat," Mr. Webb was always a strong supporter of a balance between a manned program and robotic craft that could do the necessary science. As NASA notes, "Webb's vision of a balanced program resulted in a decade of space science research that remains unparalleled today. During his tenure, NASA invested in the development of robotic spacecraft, which explored the lunar environment so that astronauts could do so later, and it sent scientific probes to Mars and Venus, giving Americans their first-ever view of the strange landscape of outer space."
My only concern is that this telescope will be put into an orbit where it cannot be visited and repaired. Maybe we need to consider the lessons from the Hubble telescope and ensure we have a backup plan.
