Hello JustSpace Alliance subscribers, and welcome to a special edition of our newsletter!

We’re excited to tell you about a new project we’ve been working on: a documentary on the James Webb Space Telescope naming controversy and the ongoing impact of homophobia in the field of astronomy. 

Also known as JWST, the James Webb Space Telescope is the most powerful telescope ever launched into space, and is currently orbiting the Earth at a distance farther than the Moon. The astronomy community is highly anticipating the first science images from JWST, expected June 12th. But this excitement has been tainted by the name chosen for the telescope. 

Unlike most space telescopes, which are usually named post-launch for scientists after a naming process seeking input from the public and the astronomical community, JWST was named abruptly in 2002, years before launch, by (at the time) NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe. The chosen namesake, James E. Webb, was not an astronomer, but the NASA Administrator during the Apollo era. While this was a celebrated period of NASA’s history, Webb also led NASA (and, previously, was undersecretary of state at the U.S. State Department) during the notorious Lavender Scare, when thousands of federal employees were fired for being gay.

What was Webb’s role in the Lavender Scare? How should this legacy affect the naming of NASA’s flagship telescope? And what are the implications for LGBTQIA+ astronomers and space scientists in the field today?

To address these questions, we’ve produced a new 40-minute documentary, premiering on YouTube next week, called Behind the Name: James Webb Space Telescope. The documentary includes historical records and footage to provide context for the Lavender Scare, James E. Webb’s work at NASA and the State Department, and the process of naming telescopes. It also features interviews with LGBTQIA+ astronomers to explore their perspective on JWST’s name, and their experiences with the prejudices still lingering in the field today.

We’d love for you to join us for the live online premiere at 4pm ET on July 5! Here’s the premiere link, where you can also schedule yourself a reminder to watch or leave a comment: https://youtu.be/jqrZ0Pl-KjQ. After the premiere, the documentary will continue to be available at the same link. And if you’d like to watch and share a trailer for the documentary, check out https://youtu.be/2dxh8UOQ8HM.

Thanks for subscribing, and we hope to see you next week at the premiere of Behind the Name: James Webb Space Telescope!