Comments on: Arecibo Joins Forces with Global Antennae to Simulate 6,800 Mile Telescope

By: Talendear

Talendear — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 04:45:04 +0000

The precise location of satellites could be determined with little effort. The only problem I can forsee with including them in an array including ground based telescopes is that the atmosphere may have an effect on the wavelength being viewed and it might take some specialized software to compute the difference between space and ground observations. The problem currently with a space based array is having them looking in the same spectrum since most of them are specialized in the wavelengths they are viewing. But overall, it is probably an idea that bears some looking at in the future if we plan to continue on increasing the power of telescopes to see the universe with more clarity. With some of the plans for upcoming space telescopes being set up as arrays, it might be worth reconsidering the future of the Hubble telescope if it could be tied into the arrays for even a minor amount of time and provide a significant increase in the resolution.

By: trux

trux — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 12:25:08 +0000

Yes, a Precision Spacecraft Formation – Nano-Precision, Photon Tether Formation Flight (PTFF – http://www.baeinstitute.com/tech_precFormation.html) – technology already developed by BAE institute, and using laser photonic propulsion, may come handy for space fleet interferometers.

By: Billy Wagner

Billy Wagner — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 11:28:43 +0000

The only real issue of coordination between a lunar dish (supposedly fixed) and a terran dish would be that they would face the same direction (and pick up the same signal) only once in every 25-ish hours (I don't feel like doing the math right now to get the exact number).. It would be better if we had two dishes in orbit around their respective bodies, like Vanamonde suggested..

I had heard a rumor years ago that one project was supposed to shoot a dish out to one of the L5 points.. dunno how thats coming or if it would be true.

By: Joel Raupe

Joel Raupe — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 10:05:10 +0000

Coordination of e-VLBI with lunar and/or space-based antennae would not be prohibitatively difficult. As long as there were coordinated time stamps on the data, the coordination could even be accomplished after the fact, if necessary.

By: Trippy

Trippy — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 08:49:52 +0000

Simply amazing.

I'm sitting here, and I find myself wondering:

"How long will it be before we have radio telescopes in orbit at the solar L3, L4 and L5 points, and have those dishes operatingin concert with this array".

I mean, think about it, the resolving power of a dish 1AU in diameter.

Okay, so I get the difficulties involved, but if we did something like combine it with the Pulsar 'GPS' that was mentioned at one point.

I wish someone would get on with the Square Kilometer Array though.

By: Vanamonde

Vanamonde — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 01:52:03 +0000

Moving dishes would be a challenge. Maybe some math superheroes in concert with interplanetary hackers would whip up an algorithm that could handle it. That source code would scare the bejesus out me, for sure, for sure.

Someday, we have dishes locked in a constellation around the solar system, locked together and recording, then lasering their data to a Central Data Center in a spot maybe at the L5 point of the Earth-Moon system. A virtual disk light hours across. That would talk some scary math, even if the relative distances were stable!

I would call it, the Children of the Sun Interferometer.

By: Tammy Plotner

Tammy Plotner — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 01:03:20 +0000

Maybe I'm getting a little tired here – but wouldn't a dish on the Moon coordinated terrestrially be a little impractical because its distance from the Earth varies and it's not in a static orbit? Hmmm….

Nice catch, Ian!

"We'd like to teach the world to hear… In pefect harmony. We'd like to buy the world a dish… And keep it company."

By: Sili

Sili — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 23:35:23 +0000

I think I've asked this question a few other places, but I'm still not sure about the answer:

Will it be possible to do this trick a telescope on the Moon in concert with ones on Earth? Or will the lack of points in between be a problem?

Also – if it *is* possible how good a telescope is needed? Would a robotic mission that just laid out an array of wires on the surface give enough information to be useful or would a proper, pointable, parabolic desk be necessary?