The Observatory
D. E. Harrison
- Galileo
- is
- credited
- with
- the
- first
- telescope,
- but
- there
- were
- many
- people
- involved
- before
- him.
- However,
- he
- made
- it
- into
- a
- science.
Metal
- mirrors
- were
- first
- used
- to
- reflect
- the
- star
- light.
- They
- worked
- but
- had
- problems.
- When
- glass
- could
- be
- formed
- into
- mirrors
- and
- then
- silvered
- to
- reflect
- the
- star
- light,
- astronomy
- became
- a
- true
- science.
- In
- England
- in
- the
- 1850-90
- a
- small
- university
- had
- the
- money
- and
- telescope
- to
- do
- leading
- edge
- astronomy.
- Unfortunately,
- over
- time
- the
- money
- ran
- out
- and
- others
- had
- better
- telescopes.
A
- hundred
- year
- later
- the
- astronomy
- department
- is
- almost
- closed.
- The
- final
- two
- students
- can
- find
- no
- telescope
- time
- for
- research.
- The
- past
- Chancellor
- sold
- the
- telescope
- many
- years
- ago.
- The
- current
- Chancellor
- is
- selling
- all
- the
- property
- and
- buildings
- on
- the
- observatory’s
- property.
- The
- Chancellor
- is
- paying
- the
- two-astronomy
- student
- a
- small
- amount
- to
- see
- if
- there
- is
- any
- value
- in
- the
- buildings
- before
- the
- land
- agent
- bulldozers
- the
- buildings
- over.
The
- students
- find
- that
- some
- of
- the
- old
- lumber
- has
- value.
- The
- college
- library
- has
- some
- ancient
- manuscripts
- that
- say
- the
- village
- and
- site
- may
- have
- a
- national
- historical
- value.
- The
- university
- sees
- money
- in
- this
- and
- moves
- on
- that.
- It
- sells
- to
- the
- students
- the
- cleaning
- and
- all
- materials
- in
- the
- buildings
- for
- a
- very
- small
- amount.
- The
- students
- hope
- to
- publish
- an
- article
- on
- the
- history
- of
- the
- telescope.
A
- major
- astronomical
- find
- is
- discovered
- in
- the
- basement
- of
- the
- old
- observatory
- and
- the
- students
- go
- to
- a
- barrister
- for
- help.
- How
- much
- of
- the
- find
- can
- they
- keep
- and
- what
- does
- it
- show?Meanwhile,
- in
- a
- very
- luxurious
- conference
- room
- in
- New
- York
- city
- a
- meeting
- is
- about
- to
- start.
Around
- the
- conference
- table
- sits
- people
- that
- control
- $100s
- of
- millions
- in
- private
- grant
- money.
A
- fellow
- stands,
- “Your
- people
- have
- reviewed
- our
- proposal.
- Briefly,
- I
- wish
- to
- build
- six
- radio
- telescopes,
- carefully
- placed
- on
- the
- earth.
- We
- are
- going
- to
- photograph
- the
- first
- black
- hole
- at
- the
- center
- of
- our
- galaxy.”
A
- fellow
- asks
- a
- question,
- “You
- hope
- to
- build
- a
- scope
- at
- the
- south
- pole?
- The
- exact
- south
- pole?”
“Yes,
- we
- need
- it
- there
- to
- complete
- the
- grid
- of
- six
- radio
- scopes
- all
- over
- the
- world.
- This
- will
- provide
- positive
- proof
- of
- the
- black
- hole.”Another
- fellow
- stands,
- “You
- have
- requested
- $100
- million.
- What
- use
- of
- the
- equipment
- is
- there
- after
- the
- initial
- experiment
- is
- successful?
- But
- what
- if
- it
- fails?”
“We
- have
- outlined
- our
- entire
- program
- after
- we
- photograph
- the
- black
- hole.
- We
- will
- return
- on
- your
- investment
- at
- least
- three
- time,
- not
- counting
- the
- good
- will.”The
- chairman
- asks,
- “Do
- we
- fund,
- yes
- or
- no?”
It
- is
- not
- a
- 100
- %
- yes
- vote,
- but
- close
- enough.
“We
- will
- finalize
- the
- paperwork,
- the
- funding
- milestones,
- the
- review
- points,
- and
- the
- completion.
- There
- will
- be
- standard
- language
- as
- usual.
“May
- this
- be
- the
- success
- we
- all expect.”
pro-mbooks3 : libris
