Google’s Ex-CEO Backs Start-Up Approach to Big Telescopes for Space and Astronomy
The New York Times••general
Key Points:
- Eric Schmidt, former Google CEO, and his wife Wendy are funding Schmidt Sciences, which is building four major new telescopes, including one for orbit, to rival NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope.
- The project aims to have all four telescopes operational within four years, significantly faster than the typical decade or more required for similar astronomical facilities.
- Schmidt Sciences views this initiative as an experiment to accelerate discoveries in astrophysics through more nimble and economical approaches.
- Arpita Roy, lead of the Astrophysics and Space Institute at Schmidt Sciences, emphasized the goal of speeding up the pace of astrophysical research during a recent American Astronomical Society meeting.
