The Department of Science and Technology has started a national awareness campaign to build support for the bid to host the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) radio telescope in SA.
The DST has partnered with the South African State Theatre to host “Full Moon Fever” events on the Fridays, Saturdays or Mondays closest to the full moon.
The events will include career exhibitions (together with the Tshwane University of Technology and the University of Science Africa), a laser show and a performance of the production “African Stars”.
The mobile exhibition will travel to all nine provinces, and the DST says a fully equipped truck will take the performances to outlying areas and smaller communities.
Speaking at the launch event in Pretoria yesterday, deputy director general of the DST Val Munsami said: “As part of encouraging awareness for Africa's bid to host the SKA, my department decided to use the remaining months leading up to the bid announcement to rally support from communities in SA and on the continent.”
The DST says the SKA will be 50 to 100 times more sensitive than any radio telescope previously built and will comprise 3 000 to 4 000 antennas, spread over 3 000km.
“The African bid proposes placing remote stations, including 30 to 40 antennas each, in eight other countries on the continent,” says the DST.
“The core site, with most of the antennas, is proposed for the Northern Cape province in SA.”
The SKA will require the world's fastest supercomputer and 200Gbps Internet speed to operate.
“It would propel Africa into the 22nd century and drive economic development across the continent,” said Munsami. “Hosting the SKA will change our economic fortunes.”
Share
