The James Webb Space Telescope

Astronomers tend to look toward the future more than most other scientists. It's why they were planning the Galileo spacecraft's journey to Jupiter even before the twin Voyagers had lifted off the launch pad. It's why initial plans for the Spitzer Space Telescope were being made before its predecessor, the Infrared Astronomical Satellite, had started to reveal the unique discoveries that could be made through observations of infrared radiation. And it is why astronomers are drooling over the possibilities of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) even while Hubble continues to dazzle.