07-11-2015, 06:48 PM
Lo-ka-hi,
The master plan was already a compromise, the idea being that in the future, as telescopes decommission, new ones simply wouldn't be built in their place. Your compromise would have UH and the observatories going back on their word and not carrying out clear promises and legal agreements they have made. That just isn't going to happen given the current political climate.
In addition, even if two neighboring observatories decommissioned on the summit ridge, I still can't see how that would make space for the TMT, plus then it becomes visible from just about anywhere on the island, something the TMT have tried hard to prevent.
The only spot I can think of, other than the current site, is the area surrounding the CSO and the JCMT, but I would need to see what ancient sites would need to be destroyed if the TMT were built there. In addition, it is not a good spot for optical/IR telescopes, that's why none are down in submillimiter valley.
Please, this is not simple, and I'm only touching on the complications. What about agreements already in place with other countries and organizations for instance?
The master plan was already a compromise, the idea being that in the future, as telescopes decommission, new ones simply wouldn't be built in their place. Your compromise would have UH and the observatories going back on their word and not carrying out clear promises and legal agreements they have made. That just isn't going to happen given the current political climate.
In addition, even if two neighboring observatories decommissioned on the summit ridge, I still can't see how that would make space for the TMT, plus then it becomes visible from just about anywhere on the island, something the TMT have tried hard to prevent.
The only spot I can think of, other than the current site, is the area surrounding the CSO and the JCMT, but I would need to see what ancient sites would need to be destroyed if the TMT were built there. In addition, it is not a good spot for optical/IR telescopes, that's why none are down in submillimiter valley.
Please, this is not simple, and I'm only touching on the complications. What about agreements already in place with other countries and organizations for instance?