Careers in Astronomy: the Long and Winding Road

"I'm getting to my sell-by date, but I'm sticking to our project," jokes John Mather, senior project scientist on the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). What originated in 1996 as the Next Generation Space Telescope has turned into a multi-decade journey, and it's not yet over. Although the earliest projections estimated that the project could launch in about ten years, JWST project complexity and budget overruns have pushed that date out several times to 30 March 2021, with the possibility of another extension. That means Mather has been working on the JWST project for almost 25 years, and the end isn't quite in sight.

"I knew going into this project that it would be a long haul," admits Heidi B. Hammel, interdisciplinary scientist on the JWST. "But my background as a planetary scientist had prepared me: In my post-doc position at the Jet Propulsion Lab, I was involved with the Voyager mission. That spacecraft was designed while I was in elementary school, and launched while I was still in high school! So my perspective on missions does tend to be long term, perhaps longer than other astronomers."

Eric P. Smith, program scientist for JWST, worked on the Hubble telescope project at several stages in his career. "I knew in 1990 that Hubble was planned for a long life through servicing, but I didn't think it would last as long as it has and would be operating so well at its advanced age of 30! When I began working on Webb in 1996, I knew that, like Hubble, it would be a decade-level commitment. I must admit that I did not think it would be a 25-year commitment."

Smith likens such long-term projects to what voyagers on long ship journeys may have experienced a few hundred years ago. "You are all on a ‘fantastic voyage' with many struggles along the way," he says. "But a new world awaits you at your destination."

That new world waiting gives project scientists a shared sense of purpose: They are building something that's never been built before that will open vistas to the Universe that will surpass anything that's been done before. Such projects require collaboration among hundreds, or even thousands, of people working at all levels.

"It takes the ultimate in courage, creativity, and team effort to do a long-term project," says Mather. "I have wonderful colleagues who are brilliant, dedicated, cheerful, and good friends. We have a shared sense of mission and we know what we're doing is really important."

That creativity and good cheer are crucial when things go wrong—space programs can be canceled due to technical issues or cost overrun, or completed and (then rarely) fail for some reason. But perseverance is key.

Gillian Wright is the European principal investigator for the Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) on the JWST. When her team began designing the MIRI, no one really expected the JWST project to take as long as it has. "The difficulty of technical challenges tends to become more apparent once you start trying to solve them," she explains.

Since the design and planning for missions can last for years, it is inevitable that key people may leave, either through retirement or promotion, or because they were on a fixed-term appointment. Succession planning is key for long-term missions—crucial positions need to have back-up people in place.

Those working on the JWST have seen this type of evolution among the staff. Proper documentation, communication, and management are crucial to successful knowledge transfer. Nonetheless, it can be difficult to replace long-term experience. "Each person in a team brings ways of thinking and understanding that are unique to them, and a historical perspective that does get lost if they leave the project. No amount of co-working/shadowing/documenting covers these subtleties," says Wright. Nonetheless, she sees the value in the creativity of newcomers: "This can also be good for the team and the project, just in a different way."

Hammel agrees that the potential for lost knowledge is counterweighted by the continued infusion of new faces with fresh ideas. "It is, as with all things, a balance that must be maintained," she says. "For my own specific role with Webb's Science Working Group, I've endeavored to pass on what I have learned to my team. They are now taking the leadership roles, and I watch with awe and pride as they move into those roles and blossom into amazing leaders."

With many of these long-term projects, some of the people key to their success may never see the results of their labors, and that's just a reality of working in astronomical instrumentation.

"The most challenging thing about a long-term mission is that you must have a lot of patience," says Hammel. "You must be in it not really for yourself and your career—you must recognize that you are crafting a facility for the folks who are coming after you."

Smith says the journey itself is often the best reward—which is good news, when the journey of one mission can take decades. He recommends spending a working career pursuing your passions and interests, which can evolve. That passion for a subject can help you get through adversities that come with short-duration missions, such as tight schedules and tight money—or long missions, which involve career investment.

"I encourage students, if they can, to get involved in a long-term mission, but also have participation in shorter duration efforts be part of their job description and performance plans," says Smith. "That way they can experience the highs—and yes, lows—associated with each type of effort."

A long-term mission like JWST, with its enormous folding mirrors and deployable sunshade, may have looked impossible at the outset. But Mather likes tackling the impossible. There's not much competition, he says, and if the project is successful, the results will be worth the effort. "Other people want quick results," says Mather, "but building telescopes is never quick if we want something really new and powerful."

Hammel advises younger scientists to take the long view and consider the words of Renaissance artist Michelangelo, which resonate with those who work to bring these major missions to fruition: "The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it."

Hammel realizes that she may not get to use some of the facilities she's working on, but there is so much out there waiting to be learned, and so many bright young people coming along who are eager to explore. "My role now," she says, "is to help ensure that the future facilities are there when those young people need them."

Karen Thomas is a contributing editor for Photonics Focus.