$88m To Explore The Space Frontier

Monday, 20 July 2009

$88m To Explore The Space Frontier

[See... Full release with 1969 Australian Government media release on Apollo 11 support]

On the 40th anniversary of the first moon landing, Australia is poised to once again play a crucial role in space discovery, with the Rudd Government announcing that it will provide $88.4 million to ensure we are a major partner in the revolutionary Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT).

The $1 billion GMT is a next-generation instrument larger and more powerful than any optical telescope constructed to date. It will be built and operated by a consortium of institutions from the United States, South Korea and Australia.

To be located in Chile’s high-altitude Atacama Desert and completed by 2018, it will have up to 30 times better resolution than current land-based telescopes, with images 10 times sharper than the Hubble Space Telescope.

The $88.4 million funding, to be provided to the Australian National University, includes $23.4 million to upgrade Australian infrastructure, including the ANU’s Mount Stromlo Observatory; and $65 million for the telescope itself.

This investment will create at least 240 jobs in Australia during the construction phase.

It will also open up significant opportunities for Australian industry over the 40-year life of the project.

The Rudd Government will be seeking to maximise Australian involvement in the design, construction, instrumentation and maintenance of the GMT – as well as in the science.

The funding will give Australia a 10 per cent share of the GMT and guaranteed observing time – positioning Australian astronomers at the cutting-edge of astronomical research. The telescope can be operated remotely, including from Australia.

This funding builds on the Rudd Government’s $1.1 billion Super Science Initiative announced in the Budget – an unprecedented investment in Australia’s scientific future.

Data collected by the GMT will revolutionise our understanding of the universe – informing us about its content, physics and history.

The Apollo program was one of the greatest achievements of the 20th century and one that Australia played a crucial role in delivering.

This investment will ensure that Australia is once again at the forefront of global space exploration.

The Rudd Government recognises the importance of strengthening Australia’s space research and space technologies.

The benefits of space science are experienced every day right here on earth. Many everyday items have their beginnings in space science – from the luggage scanners at airports, to the diagnostic tools used by cancer specialists.

Space science is also helping us address challenges including climate change, national security, natural resource management and disaster response.

Investing in space science supports high-skill jobs and high-tech industries, with spin-offs throughout the Australian economy.

Australian scientists are world leaders in space research. For example, Australian astronomer Jeremy Mould and two international colleagues have been awarded the 2009 Gruber Cosmology Prize for their work in measuring the age and expansion of the universe.

This commitment complements Australia’s involvement in the global effort to build the $2.6 billion Square Kilometre Array (SKA), the largest and most powerful radio telescope in the world. Australia is bidding to host the SKA, with the core site at Murchison in Western Australia.

Together, the GMT and the SKA will allow our astronomers to study a huge swathe of the electromagnetic spectrum, from visible light to radio waves. They will take our understanding of the universe to a level the Apollo pioneers could only dream of.

The United Nations has declared 2009 the International Year of Astronomy – marking 400 years since Galileo turned his 37-millimetre telescope to the skies.

Attached: 1) GMT FAQs

2) 1969 Australian Government media release on Apollo 11 support

Pictures and animations can be accessed at: www.gmto.org

[See... Full release with 1969 Australian Government media release on Apollo 11 support]

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GIANT MAGELLAN TELESCOPE

FAQs

1. What is the Giant Magellan Telescope project?

The Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT) project is an international collaboration between universities and research organisations in the United States, Australia and Korea to develop, construct and operate a next-generation, extremely-large optical telescope. The cost will be around $1 billion and the facility is expected to be operational in 2018.

The GMT will combine seven large mirrors to create the equivalent of a 24.5-metre primary mirror – far larger than any existing telescope. It will have up to 30 times better resolution than current land-based telescopes and provide images 10 times sharper than the Hubble Space Telescope and five times sharper than Hubble’s proposed replacement, the James Webb Space Telescope (scheduled for launch in 2014).

2. Where will the GMT be located?

The GMT will be constructed on the 2550-metre-high Cerro Las Campanas in the Chilean Andes, one of the best sites in the world for a terrestrial telescope, avoiding much of the distortion produced by the earth’s atmosphere and far from the light pollution of large cities and towns. It is cloudless almost every night of the year. The GMT will be operated remotely, including from Australia.

3. What will the Australian Government funding be used for?

The Australian Government is providing $88.4 million from the Education Investment Fund to make Australia a major partner in the construction phase of GMT, having already partly funded the design and development phase. Australia’s participation will be led by the Australian National University (ANU).

$65 million will be contributed to the building of the telescope itself, while $23.4 million will go towards gearing up the ANU’s telescope instrumentation capability to handle the design, development and manufacture of GMT components.

4. What part is Australia playing in the GMT Project?

Australia, through the ANU, has participated actively in the design and development phase of the GMT, contributing to the early development of advanced instruments and components.

The new funding will ensure Australia continues as a major partner and provider of technology and expertise in the construction phase, building on the world-class capabilities of several Australian institutions.

5. What will the GMT mean for Australian astronomy?

Australia will have approximately a 10 per cent share in the project, ensuring that Australia’s astronomy community has excellent access to leading-edge research technology well into the future. This is critical for keeping Australia at the forefront of astronomy. It is our highest impact

scientific discipline and our astronomers have made many contributions of international significance.

A key advantage of the GMT for Australia, against other proposed Extremely Large Telescopes, is the excellent alignment of the telescope’s capabilities with Australian research interests. Early involvement will allow the Australian research community to influence the development of the telescope instruments to ensure that it meets our research objectives.

The GMT will enable our astronomers to investigate important questions in astrophysics, cosmology and planetary science, helping them maintain Australia’s leadership in these and related fields.

6. What are the main Australian research goals for the telescope?

Australian astronomers are planning to investigate what the first objects to form just after the Big Bang were, how black holes form and evolve in galaxies, and how the contents of the universe have evolved over cosmic time. They also expect to locate many more planetary systems in the galaxy, and use GMT to study where the conditions for life may have developed.

7. What will the GMT mean for Australian science generally?

Involvement in GMT will give a valuable boost to science and innovation in Australia and provide a focus for attracting the next generation of scientists and engineers. It will build on Australia’s expertise in areas such as electronics, photonics, instrumentation, materials science and advanced fabrication.

Scientists from other fields will also benefit, including those working in physics, geosciences, chemistry, biology and engineering.

8. What will the GMT mean for Australian jobs and the economy?

Australia’s involvement will give local industry access to opportunities to participate in the development of leading-edge technology, which could lead to significant tendering opportunities. The GMT construction phase is expected to directly create at least 95 highly skilled Australian jobs in technical and engineering fields, and at least 145 other supporting jobs.

9. How does the GMT relate to Australia’s bid to host the Square Kilometre Array radio telescope?

Involvement in the GMT project will complement and strengthen Australia’s bid to host the $2.6 billion (€1.5 billion) Square Kilometre Array radio telescope. GMT will help to build our expertise, infrastructure and credibility in the international astronomy community.

Together, the projects will ensure that Australian astronomers have access to the range of tools they need to keep conducting world-class research for many years to come.

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