Space/Science — HabitableZone

Space/Science » in reply to Build astronomical observatories on the Moon?

re: Build astronomical observatories where it makes sense for the application
Ken Murphy — (archived)

Really it should be a function of what one is trying to do.

If you're looking for Gamma Ray Bursts, then clearly you want an instrument in free-space with rapid slew capabilities.

If you're doing a slow scan of the northern or southern celestial hemisphere, then a facility on the Moon is probably your best bet.

If you have an instrument that gets a fair amount of usage looking at diverse points in the sky, then a free-flying instrument like a Hubble is the way to go.

If you want to listen for radio waves, as has been mentioned, then being on the far side of the Moon as as good as you're going to get, except perhaps parked at SEL-3. I have seen concerns that there will be some bounce-back of terrestrial signal even on the far side, so it may not be perfect, but it's as good as we're going to get in the near future.

If you have an instrument that's rapidly looking around for potential NEA threats, then an free-space location with ample slew capability is likely where you want to be.

If you're taking a census of the small bodies in the near Solar system, then the Moon is a decent place to do it.

The answer isn't that there can be only one option, but rather make the choice of what location is best suitable for a particular application.

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