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See the original image at space.newscientist.com

Giant telescopes could be built from Moon dust

space.newscientist.com — Dust – often thought of as an impediment to lunar exploration – could be put to good use to build giant telescopes on the Moon – perhaps some large enough to fill entire craters, says a team of US researchers.

Who dugg this? Made popular Jul 4, 2008

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  • BalooUrsidae, on 07/04/2008, -2/+10That's quite an interesting concept, but I wonder how they're going to get that much water and concrete mixers to the moon...
  • searcade, on 07/04/2008, -1/+7i can`t even belive i spent time reading your comment and now writing this one your a waste of time.
  • alexonix, on 07/04/2008, -0/+4lol have you seen "Man found in WI basement covered in BBQ sauce"... I think that's a bit crazier...
  • bosssmiley, on 07/04/2008, -0/+4Ma Clanger would never stand for so much dust about the place! I sense a potential flashpoint for the first interplanetary diplomatic incident...

    And concrete igloos? What's wrong with living in craters with dustbin lids on top like *proper* lunar inhabitants?
  • Sornos, on 07/04/2008, -0/+4Not really. Just build the telescope on the equatorial Dark Side, then you'll have no interference from Earth, and you'll have just as much as view as a fixed telescope on Earth.
  • chubbybubba, on 07/04/2008, -1/+5Once stoners realize you can get high on moon dust they'll be like,
    "Dude, its a conspiracy! You could totally build giant telescopes out of it, build houses, and cure cancer."
  • ctholm, on 07/04/2008, -2/+5That is a stupid thing to say, as water and concretemixers are not needed, if you read the article. Some type of spinning device is and lots of tools, but the main thing is the saving on material transportation.

    It might never happen, or it might be refined to something entirely different, but ignoring it because it seems unlikely is a sure way to never advance.
  • Murdats, on 07/04/2008, -0/+3http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/200 ...

    another article covering the topic explaining how this is a good idea.

    and by the time we have this technology? we have had concrete for a while now and let see what is more difficult, fly a heavy, finely tuned device to the moon, or take some basic materials and build it there.
  • zanixmechanix, on 07/04/2008, -0/+3Did anyone else immediately get the moon level music playing in their head, from the Duck Tales NES game?
  • hotpuck6, on 07/04/2008, -0/+2i was that man.
  • hotpuck6, on 07/04/2008, -2/+4i don't even care what the article says, that's the craziest title I've seen in a while.
  • searcade, on 07/04/2008, -1/+3Why not use the Moon dust to build something where we can stay when visiting the moon...
  • Uncle_Joe, on 07/04/2008, -0/+2Then unless we have cables or a satellite around the moon we can't get a signal from the Dark Side of the moon.
  • inactive, on 07/04/2008, -0/+2The world needs less "if, mabye, someday, concept" stories and more "This badass thing is finished...not a concept...finished and for sale!" stories.
  • insanebrain, on 07/04/2008, -0/+2> "Telescopes COULD be build from moon dust? Really? No."
    OMS. .Einstein has arrived. You must be really smart to state this. . . Please be my overlord.

    /s
  • AstroSnail, on 07/04/2008, -0/+1It's built into a sinkhole, not a crater.
  • insanebrain, on 07/04/2008, -0/+1a big ladder ?
  • Uncle_Joe, on 07/04/2008, -1/+2They forgot one thing. The moon doesn't spin. Yes it does go on an orbit around earth and with earth but that makes the telescope limited in what it can pick up.
  • jorisb, on 07/04/2008, -0/+1You must have not gotten the memo. We now base the likelihood of an idea succeeding, on preconceptions and assumptions (the 150 pixel preview image may also be used.)
  • DuffyDirect, on 07/04/2008, -0/+13 acres, a telescope, and a mule!
  • thepretext, on 07/04/2008, -0/+1*cue Pink Floyd.*
  • thuimeeha, on 07/04/2008, -0/+0http://tinyurl.com/5z85hd
  • barstegry, on 07/04/2008, -1/+0Breaking News: Dust telescope construction contract awarded to Oreck Corp...
  • vanleurth, on 07/04/2008, -1/+0This is posible. The arecibo telescope is built on a crater. Arecibo is the biggest radiotelescope on earth. Perhaps they should have specified it is a type of telescope.
    http://www.cubiclehacks.com
  • inactive, on 07/04/2008, -10/+2No they could not. This is the worst "omg look a cur 4 cancer" story I've seen on Digg yet. This will NEVER happen, therefore it is unimportant. Telescopes COULD be build from moon dust? Really? No. By the time we have this technology, we can fly telescopes to the ***** moon.

    Buried.

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