Important goals can take long efforts to achieve. For something as novel and complex as JWST, I don't find its quarter-century development time surprising or odious.
Cathedral Notre Dame was begun in 1163, took 182 years to complete. We moderns recognize it as a thing of beauty (pre-blaze), but I'm sure it was a tour de force for technology of the times, with many unexpected problems that delayed the project.
I'm glad each project's sponsors saw them through to completion. I hope humanity continues to sign up for hard goals that take time to reach.
Cathedral Notre Dame was begun in 1163, took 182 years to complete. We moderns recognize it as a thing of beauty (pre-blaze), but I'm sure it was a tour de force for technology of the times, with many unexpected problems that delayed the project.
I'm glad each project's sponsors saw them through to completion. I hope humanity continues to sign up for hard goals that take time to reach.