Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
Science
Donna Lu

James Webb image reignites calls to rename telescope amid links to LGBT abuses

Joe Biden at a briefing on the James Webb space telescope. Nasa faces calls to rename it because of Webb’s links to anti-LGBT policies.
Joe Biden at a briefing on the James Webb space telescope. Nasa faces calls to rename it because of Webb’s links to anti-LGBT policies. Photograph: Evan Vucci/AP

The release of the first images from the James Webb space telescope, the most powerful ever launched into space, has renewed calls from astronomers for Nasa to rename the instrument amid allegations Webb was complicit in historical persecution of LGBTQ+ people.

The $10bn telescope is named in tribute to James Webb, an American official who was the second administrator of Nasa. Webb led the space agency during many of the Apollo missions in the 1960s and also served as the US undersecretary of state from 1949 to 1952.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.