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Radio Telescope Has Military Uses?
schnippy writes "A joint Mexico-U.S. effort to build a monster radio telescope in Mexico is causing concerns because the project, the Large Millimeter Telescope, is part of a U.S. Defense Department effort to develop the target acquisition and directed-energy technology needed for anti-satellite warfare." From the article: " Supporters said links between science and the military are nothing new and emphasized the telescope being assembled on the 15,000-foot Sierra Negra in the state of Puebla wont be some kind of Star Wars defense outpost."
Really? Then why do they insist on segregating India's civilian and military facilities as part of the Indo-US nuke cooperation treaty (or whatever it is called). And why do they ban import of equipment that is dual use to any non-designated nuke power?
The facility in question is used to shoot down nukes. India's facilities are used to make them. The DoD doesn't have much worry that the civilians working the radio telescope will use the information they might see to build nukes. While radio telescopes might not create nukes, nuclear power plants in foreign nations can, hence the regulation as to what and who the US is willing to sell technology that can be used to make nukes. You worked in the word dual use, but other then that, these are two completely separate issues.
Further, you are just proving my point. Take US federal dollars paid for by US tax payers and you are going to get strings attached. That is just the reality of taking American tax payer money or working with the US federal government.