Lunar Crater Radio Telescope
Proposed radio telescope / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dear Wikiwand AI, let's keep it short by simply answering these key questions:
Can you list the top facts and stats about Lunar Crater Radio Telescope?
Summarize this article for a 10 year old
The Lunar Crater Radio Telescope (LCRT) is a proposal by the NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts (NIAC) to create an ultra-long-wavelength (that is, wavelengths greater than 10 m, corresponding to frequencies below 30 MHz) radio telescope inside a lunar crater on the far side of the Moon.[1][lower-alpha 1]
Alternative names | LCRT |
---|---|
Location(s) | far side of the Moon |
Telescope style | radio telescope |
Diameter | 350 m (1,148 ft 4 in) |
The reason for building the LCRT on the far side of the Moon would be to avoid interference faced by radio telescopes on the Earth's surface.[2] The Moon would block many sources of radio interference originating on Earth, and would avoid the problems that come from Earth's ionosphere at long radio wavelengths.[3]
If completed, the telescope would have a structural diameter of 1.3 km, and the reflector would be 350m in diameter.[4][5][6] Robotic lift wires and an anchoring system would enable origami deployment of the parabolic reflector.[7]