Mark Clampin, director of the Astrophysics Division at NASA Headquarters, accepts the 2023 Michael Collins Trophy for Lifetime and Current Achievements from Christopher Browne, John and Adrienne Mars Director of the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum. The trophy was awarded to the team behind NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope in a ceremony at the museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia, on March 23, 2023.
“The James Webb Space Telescope team’s dedication and ingenuity is an inspiration to the world,” said NASA Associate Administrator Bob Cabana. “The partnerships that make this mission possible represent the best of humanity and are critical to enabling us to use Webb to understand our universe better.”
The award was presented during a ceremony at the museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia, on March 23. “The 2023 Collins Trophy recipients have helped humans understand their place on this Earth,” said Chris Browne, the John and AdrienneDirector of the museum. “The James Webb Telescope has likewise given us new perspectives on the universe.”Launched on December 25, 2021, Webb is the largest and most powerful space science telescope ever built.
With its optics performing nearly twice as well as the mission required, Webb is discovering some of the