NASA will stop naming telescopes after individuals
(NASA Administrator James Webb (right) with former President Harry Truman. / NASA https://bit.ly/3zJaJWJ)
No more homages in space.
NASA has updated the naming requirements for observatories or projects operating under the auspices of the agency.
Now the practice of naming telescopes, missions or instruments after famous people will be limited and possible only in exceptional cases.
One of these cases is when a person’s merits to the United States, NASA or humanity are so high that any other form of recognition from the agency will be considered inadequate.
Instead, the agency asks that project titles use the theme of unity, inspiration, or human achievement.
This decision is largely due to the recent scandal surrounding the name of the James Webb Space Telescope, named after the director of the agency in the middle of the last century.
Webb was later accused of involvement in the persecution of homosexuals.
Despite the fact that Webb's guilt was not proven, some journals asked that the abbreviation of the telescope name no longer be deciphered.
Sources:
SpaceNews: https://spacenews.com/nasa-policy-discourages-naming-missions-after-individuals/
Space.com: https://www.space.com/james-webb-space-telescope-wont-be-renamed
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