NASA wants to convert a lunar crater into a giant telescope
NASA engineers are interested in the project of the lunar crater conversion into a giant powerful telescope. Such a telescope on the far side of the moon can be a very useful tool for space exploration. An ejection of telescopes only for a few thousand kilometers from the Earth’s surface has significantly expanded astronomical knowledge, because telescopes are less affected by the atmosphere and noise from the Earth. Space telescopes have made it possible to discover thousands of new stars and planets. So, the “Kepler” telescope made a sensational discovery – there are planets of the size of the Earth and smaller. We can only guess what discoveries can be made by the telescope, which will be located at a distance of 380 thousand kilometers from the Earth and will be protected from its noise, as well as from the noise of the Sun, and the entire Moon. The idea of the crater-telescope was suggested by Saptarshi Bandyopadhyay, a roboticist at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Sent to the far side of the moon, robots will be able to deploy a metal grid on the surface of the crater, which will concentrate weak signals. The receiver will be placed in the focus of such a telescope. NASA says that such projects require decades to be implemented. They are not official Agency missions, but they are worth studying in order to be realized when the opportunity arises.
ORIENT news
