India Friday took another leap in space exploration by joining as an observer in the
ambitious next generation astronomical observatory - Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) Project - located in Hawaii.
The status of an observer is first step by India in becoming a full partner in TMT which will be fully operational
in the year 2018 and will be world's most advanced
astronomical observatory.
Indian Minister of Science and Technology Prithviraj Chavan announced the decision to join the project here, a statement from the Project said.
TMT is scheduled to begin scientific operations in 2018 on Mauna Kea, Hawaii. The core of this telescope will be a 30-meter segmented primary mirror which will give three times
sharper images than the largest telescopes available Friday.
The TMT project plans to begin work on-site late next year and achieve first light in 2018, by that time it will be first of the next generation of ground-based optical observatories, it said.
This telescope will integrate the latest innovations in in precision control, segmented mirror design, and adaptive optics to correct for the blurring effect of Earth's atmosphere, it said.
The blurring effect refers to distortion of images received in a telescope resulting from bending of light as it passes through different surfaces of earth's atmosphere and is considered a major problem in observatories located on Earth.
"The government and people of India recognise the importance of embarking on world-class, international science collaborations," the statement quoted T Ramasami, Secretary of
the Department of Science and Technology as saying during the ceremony in Washington.
"We believe the Thirty Meter Telescope will enable us to continue and expand our role as an international leader in technology development and fundamental research," he said.
Chairman of the TMT board and Chancellor of the California University Henry Yang also welcomed Indian participation calling it "well recognised" and "respected" countries in the field of basic research.
"As part of TMT, India will be an integral part of the next generation of astronomical research. We welcome their collaboration on this exciting project," he said.
"As an Observer, we can now begin exploring the specific areas where India can contribute to the project and look forward to their becoming a full partner with a formal agreement and commitment for funding," Edward Stone Vice-chair
of the TMT board said.