Webb Costs Are Fragmenting The Space & Planetary Science Community

Planetary scientists: Webb telescope not too big to fail, Nature
“The internecine warfare among NASA scientists over the fate of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has begun. The rising financial burden of the JWST — now projected to cost $8.7 billion to launch in 2018 and then operate for five years — has increasingly prompted the question: whose responsibility is it to bail out the telescope? Planetary scientists among others are now saying they want little part of the rescue operation, lest their own grand ideas be derailed.”
Scientists balk at telescope bailout, MSNBC
“NASA says the James Webb Space Telescope would be powerful enough to see the first stars and galaxies form on the edge of the observable universe. It could also study the mechanics of planet formation in unprecedented detail, and investigate the potential for life in alien planetary systems. But the debate is starting to turn from those lofty scientific goals to issues of dollars and cents. Is this the beginning of the end for the JWST bailout, or will NASA stick to its view that Hubble’s heir is too big to fail? Feel free to weigh in with your comments below.”