Published December 1996 — Download PDF of the original newspaper column
Byrd's-Eye View By U.S. Senator Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope Update
As the constellations shift in West Virginia's winter sky, progress continues on the steady and intricate construction of the giant radio telescope being built at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory at Green Bank in Pocahontas County. Expected to be completed in 1998, the Green Bank telescope is foreseen to be one of the most powerful instruments man has ever built in his pursuit to understand the heavens. This state-of-the-art device will be the world's largest steerable radio telescope, and, for its size, the most precise telescope ever constructed for research at microwave frequencies. The new telescope -for which I added $75 million to an appropriation bill in 1989 -- responds to the need for a sensitive and sophisticated instrument for research and development in astronomy. It will replace an outdated radio telescope that collapsed at Green Bank in 1988. Several important advancements in the development of the telescope have recently been completed. The elevation shaft has been welded and installed, and the elevation wheel has been assembled. When finished, these components will lift the massive dish more than 475 feet in the air with two 20-story elevators providing access to the raised segment of the structure. Also, more than two-thirds of the 2,200 main antenna surface panels have been completed and are being painted. These surface panels, each with an area of 50 square feet, will comprise the surface of the dish. Thanks to sophisticated automation, this fully adjustable surface will never vary from an ideal shape by more than the thickness of a piece of paper. While it will provide state-of-the-art research capabilities to scientists across the country and around the world, the telescope will also make a sizable contribution to West Virginia's high-tech educational offerings. Each year, hundreds of high school teachers visit Green Bank for hands-on educational programs that help them to teach their students about astronomy. In addition, the Observatory offers daily public tours, and special tours are provided to students and other groups. I am glad to have made possible the funding for the construction of the Green Bank radio telescope in our state. This sophisticated instrument in West Virginia will have a lasting influence on man's understanding of God's handiwork in the heavens. December 18, 1996