Other facilities
anonymous
November 16 2007, 12:59:29 UTC
As we discussed, they're probably just taking this money and using it to buy more stuff to drop on Iraqis. However, I'd like to believe that freeing up money from Gemini means it can be used for future facilities instead.
Gemini itself hasn't exactly set the world alight; it's done useful science, but doesn't seem to stand out from the other 10 metre class telescopes. Further, the UK still has a signigicant investment in optical astronomy through ESO and the VLT (notwithstanding arguments about hemispheres).
There's a lot of exciting new instrumentation on the horizon, too. Not that I'm biased (of course!), but radio technology in particular is on the cusp of a really massive leap forward. The UK has already made a significant contribution to SKADS: I really hope the resources are available to follow through on that. Even in the optical world, maybe the money would be better spent on E-ELT or something.
Re: Other facilitiescultureofdoubtNovember 16 2007, 13:05:08 UTC
Well, I'm not sure it's money freed, rather than money the government isn't going to give us. That's the big worry - that overall investment will get cut back. Obviously I'm right behind SKA (and of course LOFAR!) and I'm all for bigger and better facilities.
But if this is all motivated by cuts in total funding then it's not where the argument's going to be.
There's also the question of what's going to happen to the future instruments Gemini had planned - they're not facilities in themselves but would have been important additions to existing telescopes. WFMOS is obviously for me a major future instrument, but there are the other Aspen ones in other parts of astronomy.
Comments 2
Gemini itself hasn't exactly set the world alight; it's done useful science, but doesn't seem to stand out from the other 10 metre class telescopes. Further, the UK still has a signigicant investment in optical astronomy through ESO and the VLT (notwithstanding arguments about hemispheres).
There's a lot of exciting new instrumentation on the horizon, too. Not that I'm biased (of course!), but radio technology in particular is on the cusp of a really massive leap forward. The UK has already made a significant contribution to SKADS: I really hope the resources are available to follow through on that. Even in the optical world, maybe the money would be better spent on E-ELT or something.
John
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But if this is all motivated by cuts in total funding then it's not where the argument's going to be.
There's also the question of what's going to happen to the future instruments Gemini had planned - they're not facilities in themselves but would have been important additions to existing telescopes. WFMOS is obviously for me a major future instrument, but there are the other Aspen ones in other parts of astronomy.
Will have to wait and see what happens.
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