Jodrell Bank to close

[Andy Mac]

(Image c/o Ed O'Keeffe Photography)

Sadly, it has been reported that Jodrell Bank, Cheshire, UK is to be considered for closure with an estimated saving of £2.5m per annum.

I can think of a couple of members of another astronomy forum who will miss their monthly excursions to the telescope site.

You can read the full story here.

[glactus]

Yes, it is sad to see the UK once again getting rid of something of value. I only hope that they have another facility in mind that will replace this closure. I remember the UK government getting rid of the Black Knight rocket facility in Woomera in South Australia years ago, effectively taking them out of the space race, and not supporting a sustainable civil aviation industry after the Comet Crashes. Both these mistakes enabled france to create the now fully established Airbus industry as well as the Ariane rocket facility. Tragic mistakes. Being British, we in Australia are forever conscious of what is happening to UK technology, the sale of Jaguar and Rolls Royce automotive industries to foriegn concerns being other Government failures. The French Government pumps billions of Euros into their industry, enabling them to have modern plant as well as to illegally outbid anyone, Boeing included, for lucritive overseas contracts. We just hang our head in shame. The UK government is detroying their country.

Glactus

[Andy Mac]

Thanks for that information, I live & learn!
There doesn't appear to be any particular cause ear-marked for the money which Jodrell Bank will save. A few cynics on the forum I found this story on have made various suggestions, though - like helping to bail out Northern Rock (a company you may have heard about on the news).

[glactus]

The same conservatism remains in British politics today as it did in 1938, when parliament had been well aware of the military buildup of Germany for at least 5 years before the attack on Poland. Why did the Hawker Aircraft company have to invest a million pounds of it's own money to build 150 Hurricains prior to the outbreak, and why did Supermarine have to wait 6 months for the go ahead to build the Spitfire. But that is all history, as is the inability of the British Goverenment to heed the words of Enock Powell in the 50's. But the worst scenario for the British isles was yet to come, as scientists by the thousands left Britain to take up challenges offererd to them by foreign Governments, mostly the Australian government. They knew of their value, they knew where they were, and they knew that they had had enough of being hamstrung by British politics. Even today, Australian Universities are awash with brilliant scientists, mostly British. Nothing has changed, and Mr. Brown is doing nothing about it. To Close down the Jodrell Bank radio telescope before the construction of a larger and more versatile facility is a huge step backwards for British science.

Glactus

[Andy Mac]

Sadly, I have to agree with you on that one. There are several petitions going round at present asking the Government to reconsider matters - so