02-13-2016, 12:40 PM
Put the system out to pasture.
...
Good to know observatories don't obsolesce.
Please Note: There will be a test after this post.
Observatories can become obsolete. However, they do not become obsolete the precise moment every new technology is discovered which may or may not be capable of replacing old technology.
New technology takes time to test, plan, design, then implement and construct. While this is occurring, existing technology is the best we have, and is not obsolete. Designs that are shovel ready are probably a decade or more ahead of any possible construction for potential new technologies. Even if shovel ready telescopes are delayed a few years, it is still worth it to proceed with construction, because the next generation observatory could just as easily be delayed for a few years too. And then we would have a decade long gap in our ability to pursue cutting edge research.
Space observatories and rockets to get them there are expensive. Space observatories will have much smaller lenses than earth based observatories for the foreseeable future. The price per pound to get a telescope into space is millions of dollars per pound. The price will come down, but no one knows how soon or how much, so nothing of any size can be planned for launch until we reach a specific unknown cost point.
Again, technology can become obsolete, but not in the way it has been suggested by some on Punaweb.
Question #1. Can technology become obsolete?*
Question #2. Can we replace terrestrial telescopes with space telescopes based on unknown factors ranging from size limitations to weight limitations, to completely unknown costs for launch into orbit?**
* Yes
** Not at this time.
"How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives." -Annie Dillard
...
Good to know observatories don't obsolesce.
Please Note: There will be a test after this post.
Observatories can become obsolete. However, they do not become obsolete the precise moment every new technology is discovered which may or may not be capable of replacing old technology.
New technology takes time to test, plan, design, then implement and construct. While this is occurring, existing technology is the best we have, and is not obsolete. Designs that are shovel ready are probably a decade or more ahead of any possible construction for potential new technologies. Even if shovel ready telescopes are delayed a few years, it is still worth it to proceed with construction, because the next generation observatory could just as easily be delayed for a few years too. And then we would have a decade long gap in our ability to pursue cutting edge research.
Space observatories and rockets to get them there are expensive. Space observatories will have much smaller lenses than earth based observatories for the foreseeable future. The price per pound to get a telescope into space is millions of dollars per pound. The price will come down, but no one knows how soon or how much, so nothing of any size can be planned for launch until we reach a specific unknown cost point.
Again, technology can become obsolete, but not in the way it has been suggested by some on Punaweb.
Question #1. Can technology become obsolete?*
Question #2. Can we replace terrestrial telescopes with space telescopes based on unknown factors ranging from size limitations to weight limitations, to completely unknown costs for launch into orbit?**
* Yes
** Not at this time.
"How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives." -Annie Dillard
"I'm at that stage in life where I stay out of discussions. Even if you say 1+1=5, you're right - have fun." - Keanu Reeves