Speaker
Description
The James Webb Space Telescope is an astronomy mission that exceeds all others in capability. The first science results from JWST have already rewritten the science history books. JWST is astonishingly complex, yet it exceeds its requirements in essentially all areas. Its flawless launch and deployments are a testament to the engineering and management commitment of thousands of people in the US and in our partner nations, the European ESA and Canadian CSA, and of the support of policy-makers who funded this extraordinary mission through all its trials and tribulations. I will give a broad overview of the multi-faceted challenges that JWST faced and overcame, from birth 35 years ago, and of the early science results that challenge our understanding, particularly of the growth of galaxies in the early universe.
