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From: sharp@aquila.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.followup
Subject: Re: the doom of ground-based astronomy
Message-ID: <362@aquila.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 16-Aug-84 12:03:29 EDT
Article-I.D.: aquila.362
Posted: Thu Aug 16 12:03:29 1984
Date-Received: Sun, 19-Aug-84 11:05:36 EDT
References: <4196@utzoo.UUCP>, <369@utastro.UUCP>, <4215@utzoo.UUCP>
Organization: Natl. Optical Astronomy Observatories   Tucson AZ  USA
Lines: 35

>> which means ground-based astronomy goes out of business, since most of the
>> interesting observations of quasars, distant galaxies, black hole candidates
>> and vibrating stellar corpses are confined to "dark time," when the moon is
>> nearly aligned with the sun and the night sky is dark.

>This is a serious problem.  In the long run, ground-based astronomy is
>doomed anyway, both because of increasing volumes of stuff in orbit and
>because space is a much better place to do astronomy.  But a ring of
>powersats in equatorial orbit may well hasten its demise considerably.

NO, NO, NO, NO, NO ..... well, maybe.  It all depends on your definition of
"the long run".  Ground based astronomy is not doomed in our lifetimes,
whereas powersats are quite possible on that timescale.  For a start, there
are so many things you can do from the ground where the extra expense of
space is a complete waste.  There are also projects (like mine, since I
should declare bias [although the signature should be enough]) which need
the largest possible telescope area.  Now, we don't plug the 15 metre National
New Technology Telescope just to stay employed, nor to out-do (or Reagan-ise)
the Russians (currently with a 6 metre, the largest in the world).  If you
think that the quest for the origin of the Universe, and the search for the
physics that put us all here, are worthwhile endeavours, then the time has
definitely come for an increase in size.  After all, the Palomar 200" is not
exactly young (!) and the California sky has reduced its effective aperture
considerably.  If you can put a 200" in space, allow the engineers regular
(i.e. daily) access to change, adjust and improve, allow the astronomers
regular (i.e. daily) access for observing ... I hope you get my point.
It is worth pointing out that we already have techniques which go fainter
than the Space Telescope will, and which cannot be incorporated into the
Space Telescope because the design HAD to be fixed some years ago (although
they're working on that).
Now, if you could reduce going into space to the level of driving from my
office here in Tucson to Kitt Peak mountain (which I'm about to do, so no
replies for the next week) then I might concede the point.
-- 
	Nigel Sharp   [noao!sharp  National Optical Astronomy Observatories]