University of Hawaii approves giant telescope

The University of Hawaii Board of Regents unanimously approved a plan Monday to build the world’s largest telescope at Mauna Kea’s summit.

The decision clears the way for managers of the proposed Thirty Meter Telescope to seek a permit from the state to build the facility on conservation land. TMT managers aim to begin construction late next year and finish by 2018 if they can get a permit.

Some Native Hawaiians have opposed the telescope on the grounds it would defile Mauna Kea’s summit, which they consider sacred. Environmentalists say the telescope would harm the rare wekiu bug.

But the board was moved by the potential it offered for advancing science, providing jobs and helping the economy. The university’s board must vote on the project because it owns the lease for the land on which the telescope would be built.

“I think it would be almost unthinkable not to approve this project for what it would mean for scientific research and astronomy, what it would mean for education, and the answers it may provide to unlock the mysteries of the universe,” said board member Chuck Gee.

(source)