Bad News For The Aussie SKA Bid
Australia set to lose bid for massive space telescope.
Antennas of CSIRO's Australian SKA Pathfinder Telescope
Folks…this is not good news. It appears my fears stated 3 weeks ago, based on personal information I received, indicated that the advisory panel for the SKA project favoured, (quote) “developing countries”…ie/ South Africa. Well, my fears this morning have been realised.. sadly, although not set in concrete, I believe we’ve lost it.. read this newspaper report-
Australia‘s chances to host the world’s largest space telescope have been dealt a crippling blow after a key scientific panel recommended the $2.5 billion project be awarded to a rival consortium led by South Africa.
The Square Kilometre Array is to be aimed at the deep reaches of the universe and expected to generate immense amounts of data – enough to fill 15 million large iPods every day – costing around $25 billion over 50 years to maintain.
A group of 20 countries will share the financial burden and the results of what is dubbed ”the experiment of the century”. The array, which detects radio waves instead of light, will allow scientists to explore the black holes and dark matter that makes up most of the universe, and could even be used in the search for alien intelligence.
An artist's impression of the 5 km diameter core of dish antennas in the central region of the SKA.
But Australia, in a joint bid with New Zealand, has failed to convince an expert panel it offers a superior location for the project with less radio interference for the thousands of separate dishes and antennas that will comprise the array.
The panel of experts known as the SKA Site Advisory Committee made a confidential report last month judging the South African-led bid was stronger.
This is not the final decision – that now rests with a vote of four countries represented on the board of directors for the project and is expected on April 4. China, Italy, Britain and Holland will vote on the final location.
But the expert report is seen as a major setback to Australia’s hopes of eventually winning the project.
The option to spread the array across eight nations in southern Africa was judged the better bid in part due to lower costs to power the telescope and transfer the massive amounts of data.
When complete the array is estimated to offer 10,000 times the discovery power the biggest radio telescopes presently and able to pick up the equivalent of a television signal on a planet light years away.
Australia has proposed locating the bulk of the array in Murchison Shire – a vast outback area in Western Australia north east of Geralton with no mobile phone towers or other human activity to interfere with it.
Around 3000 antenna dishes with a total surface area of one square kilometre make up the array, with antennas spread along a 5000-kilometre spiral stretching to the tip of New Zealand’s South Island.
Science and Research Minister Chris Evans – who lead the team to China and Italy last month to press the case for Australia’s bid – declined to directly address questions on the panel’s recommendation, but said, ”We believe we have a superior site in terms of the scientific, social and political measures being considered.” Construction of the array is set to begin in 2016. Source: The Canberra Times.
Related articles
- Australia on the outer for largest space telescope (theage.com.au)
- Aussie’s SKA Plus/Download A Billion Terabytes (davidreneke.com)
- WA sets its sights on playing host to historic Pathfinder (theage.com.au)
STOP PRESS: In order to keep balance and a proper perspective AND to again restate my decision to run this story, please see the latest report from Canberra.
Aid Mindset Main Impediment To SKA
From John Ross The Australian March 15, 2012 12:00AM
Sympathy for Africa, and not distance from Europe and North America, is the key impediment to a successful Australian bid for the Square Kilometre Array, according to Science Minister Chris Evans. Senator Evans said astronomers around the world thought the Murchison region of Western Australia, where Australia’s SKA bid is centred, was a pretty good place to work.
You sound a bit like an old fashioned racist to me, Dave.
Is the author saying with an unsubstantiated “(quote)” that a billion dollar world science project is going to the sympathy vote?
What hogwash. At least this article accepts that Africa is a more central location among member nations for the massive data transfer, but it doesn’t mention the elephant in the room: the 1500m altitude difference between the two sites.
From the latest SKA members meeting, it appears that Australia is looking for some kind of loser’s payout. Who is forgetting the science now?
Australia has the advantage considering the life of the project. The South African bid is involving several different countries. At the moment they may not have widespread mobile telephone coverage or other services, but as they develop these services will likely to increase. The way I see it, if South Africa wins the bid it means the countries involved can’t have any of these services within ‘close’ proximity to the dishes for the next 60 years (at least). Australia has the distinct advantage that development in the areas around the telescope is likely to be minimal, even in 50 years, due to the services that are needed are already in place. It would be really unfortunate if they choose to go with the South African site, and the political climate of the countries involved become less favourable within the next 60 years, even if its just about radio communication and other sources of possible interference.
Science is the winner regardless here, so please guys stop winging like brats! The world heard us complain like this during the bids for Soccer world cup too. Since then All I hear is winging all the time! Good on South Africa if they win!! Good on Science!!
Let’s see if my comment get’s published anyway as this site is very, very, very pro Australia instead objective.
Strong convictions there Russ and I must say you’re right..BUT you can’t help feeling LET DOWN by a system that decides this issue EMOTIVELY and NOT scientifically. It’s NOT the science that’s being criticized by me it’s the continuous ‘head in the sand’ mentality and comments from institutionalized individuals who refuse to see what’s in front of them. It’s over, we lost!!! WE have the better plan but politics and emotion will kill science off every time.
I fully agree with Phil Diamond and have said exactly the same thing in several Facebook posts I have made over the last 3-4 days. In those posts I have endorsed in GLOWING terms the committee and their role in getting us to where we are now.
Indeed MR Diamond may or may not know that i am a tangential sponsor of the program and the program in turn is sponsoring my outreach efforts. These arrangements were set in place many months ago by the Sydney arm of the SKA.
I actively, twice weekly in open public lectures, discuss the SKA program and enlighten folk on our efforts to secure it.
Not only that but on radio several times this week and last I have indicated that it may not look all that good for Australia getting the telescope array on the surface, the matter is my no means over.
BUT Mr. Diamond has to understand that speculation will develop and premature news reports will surface whether he (or I..or you) like it or not. The job that newsletters like mine do is to publish the current level of thinking from as RELIABLE sources as possible.
He must also be a pragmatist and a realist and understand too that the nose of the news reporter is sharp, incisive and many times, dead accurate. The old saying where there’s smoke there’s fire, most of the time, holds true.
But Phil, to support you’re sentiments, and to digress somewhat to my opening statements – I also believe that where’s there’s smoke, there’s sometimes MORE SMOKE.
(Editor Astro Space News Dave Reneke 13 March 2012)
I echo Andrew’s comment. Anyone who actually knows anything is bound by a Confidentiality Agreement.
Public outreach is great, but talking to the media with authority about something about which you know nothing is not helping.
Clearly, the CSIRO Chief of AStronomy and Space Science feels that
repeating scurrilous mass media reports is not doing anyone any good.
Anyone who actually knows anything is bound by a Confidentiality Agreement.
We should all sit back and wait (and hope) rather than parrot that which may not have any substance!
From the ASA mailer
Dear Colleagues,
You may have seen in the Sydney Morning Herald on Saturday, and in other media outlets, that there is a story concerning the recommendation of the SKA Site Advisory Committee regarding the SKA site. The recommendation was received 3 weeks ago and the negotiation process is strictly confidential. All we can say at the moment is the
following:
* All parties to the SKA bid are bound by strict confidentiality.
* Australia and New Zealand are committed to hosting the SKA and are
actively engaged
in the current stage of Board deliberations. No vote for a decision on the site is currently scheduled.
* We believe we have a superior site in terms of the scientific,
social and political measures being considered.
Please do not be overly concerned with the news stories. These are not helpful as they detract from efforts to have meaningful and effective negotiations. I would ask you all to be patient. There is an SKA Board meeting on
19 March and another on 4 April.
If you are contacted by any member of the press please direct them to me or to Tony Crawshaw.
Regards, Phil
Phil Diamond | Chief, Astronomy & Space Science | CSIRO
Phone: +61 2 9372 4300 |
philip.diamond@csiro.au | PO Box 76, Epping NSW 1710
This would be missed opportunity for science in Australia. It could also lead to other opportunities in related areas and the one project could expand , one thing leads to another to another ect Maybe this is not on the goverments radar
Push harder to win opportunities of this nature they are not available all that often.
what a kick in the guts this would be, a missed opportunity , i hope there is an appeal system in place.
sore loser
fred of geraldton