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arXiv · 2304.04869

The James Webb Space Telescope Mission

Jonathan P. Gardner·John C. Mather·Randy Abbott·James S. Abell·Mark Abernathy·Faith E. Abney·John G. Abraham·Roberto Abraham·Yasin M. Abul-Huda·Scott Acton·Cynthia K. Adams·Evan Adams·David S. Adler·Maarten Adriaensen·Jonathan Albert Aguilar·Mansoor Ahmed·Nasif S. Ahmed·Tanjira Ahmed·Rüdeger Albat·Loïc Albert·Stacey Alberts·David Aldridge·Mary Marsha Allen·Shaune S. Allen·Martin Altenburg·Serhat Altunc·Jose Lorenzo Alvarez·Javier Álvarez-Márquez·Catarina Alves de Oliveira·Leslie L. Ambrose·Satya M. Anandakrishnan·Gregory C. Andersen·Harry James Anderson·Jay Anderson·Kristen Anderson·Sara M. Anderson·Julio Aprea·Benita J. Archer·Jonathan W. Arenberg·Ioannis Argyriou·Santiago Arribas·Étienne Artigau·Amanda Rose Arvai·Paul Atcheson·Charles B. Atkinson·Jesse Averbukh·Cagatay Aymergen·John J. Bacinski·Wayne E. Baggett·Giorgio Bagnasco·Lynn L. Baker·Vicki Ann Balzano·Kimberly A. Banks·David A. Baran·Elizabeth A. Barker·Larry K. Barrett·Bruce O. Barringer·Allison Barto·William Bast·Pierre Baudoz·Stefi Baum·Thomas G. Beatty·Mathilde Beaulieu·Kathryn Bechtold·Tracy Beck·Megan M. Beddard·Charles Beichman·Larry Bellagama·Pierre Bely·Timothy W. Berger·Louis E. Bergeron·Antoine Darveau-Bernier·Maria D. Bertch·Charlotte Beskow·Laura E. Betz·Carl P. Biagetti·Stephan Birkmann·Kurt F. Bjorklund·James D. Blackwood·Ronald Paul Blazek·Stephen Blossfeld·Marcel Bluth·Anthony Boccaletti·Martin E. Boegner Jr.·Ralph C. Bohlin·John Joseph Boia·Torsten Böker·N. Bonaventura·Nicholas A. Bond·Kari Ann Bosley·Rene A. Boucarut·Patrice Bouchet·Jeroen Bouwman·Gary Bower·Ariel S. Bowers·Charles W. Bowers·Leslye A. Boyce·Christine T. Boyer·Martha L. Boyer·Michael Boyer
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Abstract

Twenty-six years ago a small committee report, building on earlier studies, expounded a compelling and poetic vision for the future of astronomy, calling for an infrared-optimized space telescope with an aperture of at least $4m$. With the support of their governments in the US, Europe, and Canada, 20,000 people realized that vision as the $6.5m$ James Webb Space Telescope. A generation of astronomers will celebrate their accomplishments for the life of the mission, potentially as long as 20 years, and beyond. This report and the scientific discoveries that follow are extended thank-you notes to the 20,000 team members. The telescope is working perfectly, with much better image quality than expected. In this and accompanying papers, we give a brief history, describe the observatory, outline its objectives and current observing program, and discuss the inventions and people who made it possible. We cite detailed reports on the design and the measured performance on orbit.

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Jonathan P. Gardner, John C. Mather, Randy Abbott, James S. Abell, Mark Abernathy, Faith E. Abney, John G. Abraham, Roberto Abraham, Yasin M. Abul-Huda, Scott Acton, Cynthia K. Adams, Evan Adams, David S. Adler, Maarten Adriaensen, Jonathan Albert Aguilar, Mansoor Ahmed, Nasif S. Ahmed, Tanjira Ahmed, Rüdeger Albat, Loïc Albert, Stacey Alberts, David Aldridge, Mary Marsha Allen, Shaune S. Allen, Martin Altenburg, Serhat Altunc, Jose Lorenzo Alvarez, Javier Álvarez-Márquez, Catarina Alves de Oliveira, Leslie L. Ambrose, Satya M. Anandakrishnan, Gregory C. Andersen, Harry James Anderson, Jay Anderson, Kristen Anderson, Sara M. Anderson, Julio Aprea, Benita J. Archer, Jonathan W. Arenberg, Ioannis Argyriou, Santiago Arribas, Étienne Artigau, Amanda Rose Arvai, Paul Atcheson, Charles B. Atkinson, Jesse Averbukh, Cagatay Aymergen, John J. Bacinski, Wayne E. Baggett, Giorgio Bagnasco, Lynn L. Baker, Vicki Ann Balzano, Kimberly A. Banks, David A. Baran, Elizabeth A. Barker, Larry K. Barrett, Bruce O. Barringer, Allison Barto, William Bast, Pierre Baudoz, Stefi Baum, Thomas G. Beatty, Mathilde Beaulieu, Kathryn Bechtold, Tracy Beck, Megan M. Beddard, Charles Beichman, Larry Bellagama, Pierre Bely, Timothy W. Berger, Louis E. Bergeron, Antoine Darveau-Bernier, Maria D. Bertch, Charlotte Beskow, Laura E. Betz, Carl P. Biagetti, Stephan Birkmann, Kurt F. Bjorklund, James D. Blackwood, Ronald Paul Blazek, Stephen Blossfeld, Marcel Bluth, Anthony Boccaletti, Martin E. Boegner Jr., Ralph C. Bohlin, John Joseph Boia, Torsten Böker, N. Bonaventura, Nicholas A. Bond, Kari Ann Bosley, Rene A. Boucarut, Patrice Bouchet, Jeroen Bouwman, Gary Bower, Ariel S. Bowers, Charles W. Bowers, Leslye A. Boyce, Christine T. Boyer, Martha L. Boyer, Michael Boyer. 2023-04-10. The James Webb Space Telescope Mission. https://doi.org/10.1088/1538-3873/acd1b5

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