05-11-2015, 12:31 PM
FYI: LA Times Article (*Snipped - more at link)
Astronomers looking for sites for their giant telescopes must account for numerous conditions -- accessibility, distance from cities (sources of light pollution), minimal atmospheric turbulence -- and increasingly, cultural concerns.
The last of these is what's roiling plans for one of the world's largest telescopes, the $1.4-billion Thirty Meter Telescope near the summit of Mauna Kea on the island of Hawaii. Construction of the telescope, which in some ways is expected to be superior to the Hubble Space Telescope, was halted in April, soon after it began, in the face of protests from local cultural and heritage groups. The stoppage was initially scheduled to last one week; it has now lasted a month, and a date for the restart hasn't been set. The completion date for the telescope, a joint project of Caltech, the University of California and a consortium of foreign academic institutions, is 2023.
What's new in the TMT story is the willingness of the scientist/builders to hear and address local concerns. In connection with the Thirty Meter Telescope, "conversations are happening," says Michael Bolte, an astronomy professor at UC Santa Cruz and member of the TMT's board of governors. "We know if we press too hard, that's not the right path."
Few Big Science projects are as big as astronomical telescopes, and few have more potential to conflict with local concerns. Mountaintops are prime locations for the instruments, and "mountaintops tend to be significant in somebody's culture," Bolte observes.
http://www.latimes.com/business/hiltzik/...tml#page=1
It is my understanding that on Saturday (5/9/15) meetings were held at OHA, and also with TMT and State officials with the protestors/protectors. Allegedly, more meetings today with all parties.
Let us hope this is progress.
Mahalo HOTPE for the link to Mr. Kalua's statement. He is a wonderful, Akamai man, who is the salt of the earth.
JMO.
Astronomers looking for sites for their giant telescopes must account for numerous conditions -- accessibility, distance from cities (sources of light pollution), minimal atmospheric turbulence -- and increasingly, cultural concerns.
The last of these is what's roiling plans for one of the world's largest telescopes, the $1.4-billion Thirty Meter Telescope near the summit of Mauna Kea on the island of Hawaii. Construction of the telescope, which in some ways is expected to be superior to the Hubble Space Telescope, was halted in April, soon after it began, in the face of protests from local cultural and heritage groups. The stoppage was initially scheduled to last one week; it has now lasted a month, and a date for the restart hasn't been set. The completion date for the telescope, a joint project of Caltech, the University of California and a consortium of foreign academic institutions, is 2023.
What's new in the TMT story is the willingness of the scientist/builders to hear and address local concerns. In connection with the Thirty Meter Telescope, "conversations are happening," says Michael Bolte, an astronomy professor at UC Santa Cruz and member of the TMT's board of governors. "We know if we press too hard, that's not the right path."
Few Big Science projects are as big as astronomical telescopes, and few have more potential to conflict with local concerns. Mountaintops are prime locations for the instruments, and "mountaintops tend to be significant in somebody's culture," Bolte observes.
http://www.latimes.com/business/hiltzik/...tml#page=1
It is my understanding that on Saturday (5/9/15) meetings were held at OHA, and also with TMT and State officials with the protestors/protectors. Allegedly, more meetings today with all parties.
Let us hope this is progress.
Mahalo HOTPE for the link to Mr. Kalua's statement. He is a wonderful, Akamai man, who is the salt of the earth.
JMO.