Slashdot Mirror
Tourism is Compromising the World's Largest Telescope (wired.com)
Thousands of people moved to let China build and protect Five-Hundred-Meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST), the world's largest telescope. And then the government drew in orders of magnitude more tourists, potentially undercutting its own science in an attempt to promote it. An excerpt: During the four-day Radio Astronomy Forum, Stierwalt and the other astronomers did, finally, get to see the actual telescope, taking a bus up a tight, tortuous road through the karst between town and telescope. As soon as they arrived on site, they were instructed to shut down their phones to protect the instrument from the radio frequency interference. But not even these astronomers, who want pristine FAST data for themselves, could resist pressing that capture button. "Our sweet, sweet tour guide continually reminded us to please turn off our phones," says Stierwalt, "but we all kept taking pictures and sneaking them out because no one really seemed to care." Come on: It's the world's largest telescope.
Maybe their minder stayed lax because a burst here or there wouldn't make much of a difference in those early days. The number of regular tourists allowed at the site all day is capped at 3,000, to limit RFI, and they have to put their phones in lockers before they go see the dish. Krco says the site bumps up against the visitor limit most days. But tourism and development are complicated for a sensitive scientific instrument. Within three miles of the telescope, the government passed legislation establishing a "radio-quiet zone," where RFI-emitting devices are severely restricted. No one (not cellular providers or radio broadcasters) can get a transmitting license, and people entering the facility itself will have their electronics confiscated.
Maybe their minder stayed lax because a burst here or there wouldn't make much of a difference in those early days. The number of regular tourists allowed at the site all day is capped at 3,000, to limit RFI, and they have to put their phones in lockers before they go see the dish. Krco says the site bumps up against the visitor limit most days. But tourism and development are complicated for a sensitive scientific instrument. Within three miles of the telescope, the government passed legislation establishing a "radio-quiet zone," where RFI-emitting devices are severely restricted. No one (not cellular providers or radio broadcasters) can get a transmitting license, and people entering the facility itself will have their electronics confiscated.
Thousands of people moved to let China build and protect Five-Hundred-Meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope
Orly?!?!? People in China moved because they are very nice and wanted to help out the government??!?!
BWHAHAHAHAHAHA
Now let's look at an actual quote from TFA (yeah, I know .. I actually read it. And emphasis is mine)
The country even forcibly relocated thousands of villagers who lived nearby, so their modern trappings wouldn’t interfere with the new prized instrument.
I am Slashdot. Are you Slashdot as well?
This would never happen in the US because of the Second Amendment. Can you imagine what would happen if the US government seized private land for a public project? Why, there would be so many people exercising their Second Amendment rights they would never even try! That is what our Founded Famers meant when they created the Second Amendment!
Unless you have missed a /s from your comment it sounds like you have never heard of Eminent Domain https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
I am Slashdot. Are you Slashdot as well?
While turning a cellphone into airplane mode probably solves the problem for 90%, the digital electronics inside a cellphone that is turned on still cause some RFI. That's why for most radio quiet zones, electronic devices that need to enter the radio quiet zones are carefully tested / selected before bringing them on site.
Nothing new here. At the Green Bank Observatory in West Virginia the tourist shop sells single use film cameras that are allowed to be used while in close proximity to the receiving dishes. Film cameras with analog light meters are the only ones allowed while close to the receiving dishes. Note that modern electronic devices emit low levels of microwave radiation while not intentionally transmitting. Airplane mode is simply not good enough.