> The total lifetime cost of the telescope, which includes development, launch, and five years of operation, will increase from $8.8 billion to $9.66 billion, o

> The total lifetime cost of the telescope, which includes development, launch, and five years of operation, will increase from $8.8 billion to $9.66 billion, officials said. That includes everything already invested and 5 years of operation. But to compare: Lockheed Martin F-35 fighter plane: "Program cost: US$1.508 trillion (through 2070 in then-year dollars), US$55.1B for RDT&E, $319.1B for procurement, $4.8B for MILCON, $1123.8B for operations & sustainment (2015 estimate)" 1.5 trillion is 1500 billion, or enough to for 150 years every year launch one more new generation of James Webb telescope, every one with the new development costs of the same scale as for the unique one done now. And, sadly, that fighter plane won't bring us any new knowledge about the universe. It's just a damned fighter plane: http://theconversation.com/what-went-wrong-with-the-f-35-lockheed-martins-joint-strike-fighter-60905 http://theconversation.com/what-went-wrong-with-the-f-35-loc... "The Pentagon is trying to argue that just because taxpayers have flushed more than $100 billion down the proverbial toilet so far, we must continue to throw billions more down that same toilet."