WA Premier visits Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory
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The Honourable Colin Barnett, Premier of Western |
2 October 2015
CSIRO and ICRAR (the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research) welcomed Western Australia Premier Colin Barnett on a special visit to the Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory, to experience the unique radio astronomy site and see the telescopes already producing exciting science from the remote observatory.
Following a cultural welcome and induction, CSIRO’s Lewis Ball was joined by ICRAR directors Carole Jackson and Lister Staveley-Smith to show the Premier around the MRO Control Building, the ASKAP antennas and the Aperture Array Verification System (AAVS0.5) next to the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA).
Mr Barnett, who is also the Minister for Science and State Development, was joined on the visit by Parliamentary Secretary to the Premier Donna Faragher and Office of Science Executive Director Fiona Roche. The trip marks the first time the Premier has visited the site, and future location for Australian SKA infrastructure, and allowed him to hear firsthand about the ambitious science planned for the future international SKA telescope project, as well as its precursors.
As a mark of mutual respect, Premier Barnett respectfully accepted a model of ASKAP Antenna 27, named Yamaljinggu (yar-marl-jing-goo), which is Mr Ross Boddington’s Wajarri Yamatji* name. Mr Boddington is the last known Wajarri Lore man/songman/language specialist and a senior Wajarri elder.
Scientists from around the world, including CSIRO and ICRAR researchers (at Curtin University and UWA), are currently working together to design SKA technologies, prototypes of which will be tested alongside the MWA in the coming year.
Construction of the first phase of the SKA is scheduled to begin in 2018, with early science from 2020 onwards.
*CSIRO acknowledges the Wajarri Yamatji as the traditional owners of the Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory site.