Quote:
Originally Posted by Bassnut
Is all that money wasted if we lose?. Is the infrastructure built so far usefull on its own?.
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The plan is that ASKAP (36 antennae x 12m ) will be a world-leading telescope
in its own right. The Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) will consist if 2048
dual polarized dipole antennae listening at 80-300MHz and will also be a powerful
instrument in its own right.
So if Australia is unsuccessful in its bid, then we will still have two new powerful state-of-the-art telescopes.
It is not lost on the South Africans the opportunities that come about in winning the
bid and they too have invested heavily in their attempt to secure it, including beginning
construction of the precursor Karoo Array telescope, which is known as MeerKAT.
It will be the world's largest radio telescope before the SKA is built.
As far back as 2004, the South African government decided to increase the
number of PhD and MSc graduates in radio astronomy. Whenever I have had
the opportunity to ask an Australian astronomer about the SKA, they have
nothing but admiration for their South African colleagues and the consensus,
even in Govt. is that the bid could easily go either way.
But to be a player at the table, the ante is high. And both South Africa and Australia
have thrown in their antes and both have strong hands.