THE NEXT GREAT OBSERVATORY: ASSESSING THE JAMES WEBB SPACE TELESCOPE HEARING BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE, SPACE, AND TECHNOLOGY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ONE HUNDRED TWELFTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION TUESDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2011 Serial No. 112–55 Printed for the use of the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology ( Available via the World Wide Web: http://science.house.gov U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 72–165PDF WASHINGTON : 2011 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866) 512–1800; DC area (202) 512–1800 Fax: (202) 512–2104 Mail: Stop IDCC, Washington, DC 20402–0001 COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE, SPACE, AND TECHNOLOGY HON. RALPH M. HALL, Texas, Chair F. JAMES SENSENBRENNER, JR., EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON, Texas Wisconsin JERRY F. COSTELLO, Illinois LAMAR S. SMITH, Texas LYNN C. WOOLSEY, California DANA ROHRABACHER, California ZOE LOFGREN, California ROSCOE G. BARTLETT, Maryland BRAD MILLER, North Carolina FRANK D. LUCAS, Oklahoma DANIEL LIPINSKI, Illinois JUDY BIGGERT, Illinois GABRIELLE GIFFORDS, Arizona W. TODD AKIN, Missouri DONNA F. EDWARDS, Maryland RANDY NEUGEBAUER, Texas MARCIA L. FUDGE, Ohio MICHAEL T. MCCAUL, Texas BEN R. LUJA´ N, New Mexico PAUL C. BROUN, Georgia PAUL D. TONKO, New York SANDY ADAMS, Florida JERRY MCNERNEY, California BENJAMIN QUAYLE, Arizona JOHN P. SARBANES, Maryland CHARLES J. ‘‘CHUCK’’ FLEISCHMANN, TERRI A. SEWELL, Alabama Tennessee FREDERICA S. WILSON, Florida E. SCOTT RIGELL, Virginia HANSEN CLARKE, Michigan STEVEN M. PALAZZO, Mississippi MO BROOKS, Alabama ANDY HARRIS, Maryland RANDY HULTGREN, Illinois CHIP CRAVAACK, Minnesota LARRY BUCSHON, Indiana DAN BENISHEK, Michigan VACANCY (II) C O N T E N T S Tuesday, December 6, 2011 Page Witness List ............................................................................................................. 2 Hearing Charter ...................................................................................................... 3 Opening Statements Statement by Representative Ralph M. Hall, Chairman, Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, U.S. House of Representatives ..................... 12 Written Statement ............................................................................................ 13 Statement by Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson, Ranking Minority Mem- ber, Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, U.S. House of Rep- resentatives ........................................................................................................... 14 Written Statement ............................................................................................ 15 Prepared Statement by Representative Jerry F. Costello, Acting Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics, Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, U.S. House of Representatives .................................... Written Statement ............................................................................................ 16 Witnesses: Mr. Rick Howard, Program Director, James Webb Space Telescope, National Aeronautics and Space Administration Oral Statement ................................................................................................. 17 Written Statement ............................................................................................ 19 Dr. Roger Blandford, Professor of Physics, Stanford University and Former Chair, Committee for the Decadal Survey of Astronomy and Astrophysics, National Research Council Oral Statement ................................................................................................. 29 Written Statement ............................................................................................ 31 Dr. Garth Illingworth, Professor and Astronomer, UCO/Lick Observatory, University of California, Santa Cruz Oral Statement ................................................................................................. 36 Written Statement ............................................................................................ 38 Mr. Jeffrey D. Grant, Sector Vice President and General Manager, Space Systems Division, Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems Oral Statement ................................................................................................. 51 Written Statement ............................................................................................ 53 Discussion ................................................................................................................. 58 Appendix 1: Answers to Post-Hearing Questions Mr. Rick Howard, Program Director, James Webb Space Telescope, National Aeronautics and Space Administration .............................................................. 82 Dr. Roger Blandford, Professor of Physics, Stanford University and Former Chair, Committee for the Decadal Survey of Astronomy and Astrophysics, National Research Council .................................................................................. 101 Dr. Garth Illingworth, Professor and Astronomer, UCO/Lick Observatory, University of California, Santa Cruz .................................................................. 110 Mr. Jeffrey D. Grant, Sector Vice President and General Manager, Space Systems Division, Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems ............................. 127 (III) IV Page APPENDIX 2: ADDITIONAL MATERIALS FOR THE RECORD Ten New Technologies Developed by and for JWST ............................................. 137 THE NEXT GREAT OBSERVATORY: ASSESSING THE JAMES WEBB SPACE TELESCOPE TUESDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2011 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE, SPACE, AND TECHNOLOGY, Washington, DC. The Committee met, pursuant to call, at 2:05 p.m., in Room 2318 of the Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Ralph Hall [Chairman of the Committee] presiding. (1) 2 RALPH M. HALL, TEXAS EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON, TEXAS U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE, SPACE, AND TECHNOLOGY 2321 RAYBURN HOUSE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON, DC 20515-6301 (202) 225-6371 Full Committee Hearing The Next Great Observatory: Assessing the James Webb Space Telescope Tuesday, December 6,2011 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. 2318 Rayburn House Office Building Mr. Rick Howard, Program Director, James Webb Space Telescope, National Aeronautics and Space Administration Dr. Roger Blandford, Professor of Physics, Stanford University and Former Chair, Committee for the Decadal Survey of Astronomy and Astrophysics, National Research Council Dr. Garth Illingworth, Professor & Astronomer, UCOlLick Observatory, University of California, Santa Cruz Mr. Jeffrey D. Grant, Sector Vice President & General Manager, Space Systems Division, Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems 3 HEARING CHARTER COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE, SPACE, AND TECHNOLOGY SUBCOMMITTEE ON SPACE AND AERONAUTICS U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES The Next Great Observatory: Assessing the James Webb Space Telescope TUESDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2011 2:00 P.M.–4:00 P.M. 2318 RAYBURN HOUSE OFFICE BUILDING Introduction In 2001, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) was ranked as the highest pri- ority large space mission in astronomy by the National Academies of Science in their decadal survey Astronomy and Astrophysics in the New Millennium. Originally estimated by the decadal committee to cost $1 billion and to be launched in 2007, JWST was dubbed as the next Great Observatory that will be three times more powerful than the Hubble Space Telescope in the infrared and eight times more powerful than the Spitzer Space Telescope. However, after high-level scrutiny arising from years of program cost and sched- ule overruns, NASA recently developed a revised plan for JWST that—if fully fund- ed—would enable completion and launch by October 2018. The revised budget life cycle costs now total just over $8.8 billion. The purpose of the hearing will be to receive testimony from NASA, academic, and industry stakeholders on the progress and remaining challenges associated with completing JWST by the target launch date of October 2018, and at a cost no great- er than $8.85 billion. Witnesses • Mr. Rick Howard, Program Director, James Webb Space Telescope, National Aeronautics and Space Administration • Dr. Roger Blandford, Professor of Physics, Stanford University and Former Chair, Committee for the Decadal Survey of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Na- tional Research Council • Dr. Garth Illingworth, Professor & Astronomer, UCO/Lick Observatory, Uni- versity of California, Santa Cruz • Mr. Jeffrey D. Grant, Sector Vice President & General Manager, Space Sys- tems Division, Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems Overarching Questions • What confidence should Congress have in the new cost and schedule estimates for JWST? • What are the chief technical and programmatic challenges facing JWST? Does the re-plan address systemic issues with the program and put it on a path for success? • What attributes of JWST merited its selection as the top-priority large-scale mission in the decadal survey Astronomy and Astrophysics in the New Millen- nium released in 2001? Are those reasons still valid today? Does the fact that JWST has not been completed as envisioned in the previous decade affect the recommendations in the most recent decadal survey, New Worlds, New Horizons in Astronomy and Astrophysics, released in 2010? Background Previously known as the Next Generation Space Telescope (NGST), the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) was planned as the follow-on space telescope, build- ing on the successes of the Hubble