ASCE will be sunsetting the Civil Engineering Database (CEDB) in the coming months. We encourage you to start using the ASCE Library to perform content searches. In the ASCE Library, you can save your search results as well as receive email content alerts when new content relevant to your area of interest is published. Try it out today at https://ascelibrary.org.

 

21st Century Astronomical Observatories on the Moon

by Jack O. Burns, Univ of New Mexico, United States,



Document Type: Proceeding Paper

Part of: Engineering, Construction, and Operations in Space

Abstract:

The advantages and disadvantages of building astronomical observatories on the Moon are described. In many ways, the Moon is a superior environment for astronomy to that of the Earth's surface and in Earth orbit. However, there are technological difficulties such as remote deployment of instruments on the lunar far-side, thermal strains, and the hazards of cosmic radiation that must be overcome. With this in mind, I describe several modest facilities that could be placed near an early lunar base such as a 1-m optical telescope and a gamma-ray burst detector. I also discuss several more elaborate observatories such as a lunar far-side very low frequency array, an optical interferometer, and a Moon-Earth ultralong baseline radio interferometer.

Subject Headings: Moon | Astronomy | Space colonies | Measuring instruments | Thermal loads | Telescopes | Strain

Services: Buy this book/Buy this article

 

Return to search