Nokia to provide 4G network on Moon: Why it is bad news for radio astronomy
As you drive down the road leading to Jodrell Bank Observatory, a
sign asks visitors to turn off their mobile phones, stating that the Lovell
telescope is so powerful it could detect a phone signal on Mars.
Radio
telescopes are designed to be incredibly sensitive. To quote the legendary
astronomer Carl Sagan, “The total
amount of energy from outside the solar system ever received by all the radio
telescopes on the planet Earth is less than the energy of a single snowflake
striking the ground.”
The
total energy now is probably a few snowflakes’ worth, but nevertheless it is
still true that astronomical radio signals are typically magnitudes smaller
than artificial ones. If Jodrell Bank could pick up interference from a phone
signal on Mars, how would it fare with an entire 4G network on the Moon?
That
is the issue that is worrying astronomers like me, now that Nokia of America has
been awarded US$14.1m (£10.8m) for the development of the first ever cellular
network on the Moon. The LTE/4G network will
aim to facilitate long term lunar habitability, providing communications for
key aspects such as lunar rovers and navigation.
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