Space telescopes have traditionally been named after scientists who made contributions related to the telescope's area of study. Examples include the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and the Kepler Space Telescope. The successor to the HST was named in 2002 after former NASA administrator James Webb, who oversaw NASA during the Apollo Project. Webb was trained as a lawyer, not a scientist, and made no contributions to science during his career. As undersecretary of State during the McCarthy era, Webb led in rooting out homosexuals from State, saying, "It is generally believed that those who engage in overt acts of perversion lack the emotional stability of normal persons." We request re-opening the naming of this most significant space telescope to a more appropriate choice.



