Western Australia Govt pumps A$20m into star trek

Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Friday, 29 February 2008 13:01

Science - Space

Premier Carpenter also announced almost A$10 million for five new major research facilities including the:

- Radio Astronomy and Engineering Centre of Excellence ($2.3million);
- WA Geothermal Centre of Excellence ($2.3million);
- Centre of Excellence for Climate Change and Woodland and Forest Health ($2.3million);
- Centre of Excellence in Ecohydrology ($1.5million); and
- Centre of Excellence for 3D Mineral Mapping ($1.5million).

These initiatives follow on from the Premier’s joint announcement with the Australian Government last September of the formation of a high level inter-government committee that would oversee Australia’s SKA bid.

University of WA Professor of Astronomy and Premier’s Fellow Peter Quinn was quoted by ‘The West Australian Newspaper’ as saying that: “It's kinda like doing what Galileo (the inventor of the telescope) did 400 years ago - but even 10 times more. It’s a wonderful opportunity for WA to become the centre of the universe literally for astronomy.”

He was further quoted saying that: “That 1% facility will already generate more data in the first six hours than we have ever collected in astronomy ever before so it’s already in its own right a wonderful facility. It just emphasises what the full 100% SKA will do.”

We don’t know if Alan Carpenter will still be the Premier of Western Australia in 2012 when the final decision is to be made – but it does look like a ‘Carpenter’ really could build the world’s largest radio telescope!