08-29-2019, 02:11 PM
2liveque makes an important point although there are other factors in play. Mauna Kea is demonstrably a better site than La Palma especially for infrared work which is why it and its partners want to be here. Moving to La Palma is definitely plan B and might still happen, but...
The TMT really find themselves between a rock and a hard place at the moment. I suspect it's unlikely they will get NSF funding if they move outside the US so a move to La Palma would likely mean finding a significant amount of money from elsewhere (i.e., several hundred million dollars). That might be a possibility, but it might not. Secondly, if this standoff continues for a significant amount of time, they risk losing some of their current partners. And if they move to La Palma, they also risk losing partners. I don't envy their position at the moment.
The TMT really find themselves between a rock and a hard place at the moment. I suspect it's unlikely they will get NSF funding if they move outside the US so a move to La Palma would likely mean finding a significant amount of money from elsewhere (i.e., several hundred million dollars). That might be a possibility, but it might not. Secondly, if this standoff continues for a significant amount of time, they risk losing some of their current partners. And if they move to La Palma, they also risk losing partners. I don't envy their position at the moment.