Hi,

I admit I don't know much about the technology behind radio telescopes. However, my understanding is that they suffer from radio interference from Earth. Look at all the work SETI has to do to weed out terrestrial transmissions.

If that's the case, then has anyone ever suggested a mission to build a radio telescope on the far side of the moon? That would put the moon between the telescope and Earth and block out all the noise coming from the Earth.

Launch a lander on the moon. Perhaps with a huge unfolding mylar dish (which could perhaps double as a solar panel for power). Launch a satellite in orbit to relay transmitions between the lander and Earth to aim the telescope and relay results back to earth. We could then control the telescope remotely.

It probably couldn't be as large as the largest radio telescopes on Earth. However, it may not have to be that large because it doesn't have to cut through the radio interference from Earth sources.

Just a thought.

-------
Kevin Lowey - University of Saskatchewan
Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans - John Lennon

An radio telescope RFI-free and atmosphere/ionosphere-free
in Daedalus Crater on the far side of the Moon
is the project of my friend Claudio Maccone,
Vice-Chairs of SETI Permanent Study Group
of the International Academy of Astronautics.


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Hmmm, now I may not be an expect, but if the far side of the moon is always pointing away from us (and thus it would recieve no radio noise from earth), then how would you get the data from the telescope back to earth ? I guess you could have a simple repeater system on the moon to relay the signal around the moon to a transmitter on our side ?

> I guess you
> could have a simple repeater system on the moon to relay the signal around the
> moon to a transmitter on our side ?

A simple satellite in lunar orbit. [/url]