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Square Kilometer Array: updates, excitement and general feeling of wellbeing

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This evening I went to a talk organised by SANEA, where Dr Fanaroff from the SKA project gave us a tasty morsel of what had already been achieved, and what the plans were going forward.  

The talk ranged from the enormous computers that will be needed to process the data (see press release excerpt below), to the construction of underground processing facilities, sealed to stop radio-leakage which would interfere with the readings.  He also spoke of the educational facilities that are being set up in the Northern Cape, where learners have access to computer (or Cyber) labs, and how this exciting project is bringing South Africans experts home, and reeling in some foreign boffins too.  Buried powerlines, 3000 dishes, interaction with Australians, interference from US military satellites.  Negotiations with Vodacom and MTN to minimise cell-phone interference, and with TV and radio broadcasters to move their signals to acceptable frequencies.  

All it needs is James Bond, and it’s happening just around the corner from where I’m monitoring construction on a PV.  It’s all hotting up around De Aar.  Watch out Northern Cape, science is descending upon you. 
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    I’m on the verge of babbling…  That doesn’t do anyone any good, so here are some links to info if you’d like to hear it from someone a little calmer.
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    Here is the March SKA newsletter:
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    <a href="http://ska.ac.za/newsletter/issues/19/01.php">http://ska.ac.za/newsletter/issues/19/01.php</a>
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    In this issue:
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    <a class="navlink" href="http://ska.ac.za/newsletter/issues/19/01.php">All systems go, say MeerKAT project leaders</a> <a class="navlink" href="http://ska.ac.za/newsletter/issues/19/02.php">Industry partners critical to MeerKAT’s success</a> <a class="navlink" href="http://ska.ac.za/newsletter/issues/19/03.php">Update on the SKA Organisation and its Board of Directors</a> <a class="navlink" href="http://ska.ac.za/newsletter/issues/19/04.php">Radio astronomy partnerships between Africa and Europe</a> <a class="navlink" href="http://ska.ac.za/newsletter/issues/19/05.php">Mauritian minister visits MITRA site</a> <a class="navlink" href="http://ska.ac.za/newsletter/issues/19/06.php">Fun and games (and learning and networking) at the annual student conference</a> <a class="navlink" href="http://ska.ac.za/newsletter/issues/19/07.php">Focus on calibration and imaging for the SKA</a> <a class="navlink" href="http://ska.ac.za/newsletter/issues/19/08.php">Nova meeting in Cape Town &#8211; the next decade</a> <a class="navlink" href="http://ska.ac.za/newsletter/issues/19/09.php">Focus on high-performance signal processing</a> <a class="navlink" href="http://ska.ac.za/newsletter/issues/19/10.php">Confronting the elephants in the (SKA) room</a> <a class="navlink" href="http://ska.ac.za/newsletter/issues/19/11.php">Oleg Smirnov: A career owed to the SKA</a> <a class="navlink" href="http://ska.ac.za/newsletter/issues/19/12.php">Young talent at the South African SKA Project</a> <a class="navlink" href="http://ska.ac.za/newsletter/issues/19/13.php">Maintenance is key</a> <a class="navlink" href="http://ska.ac.za/newsletter/issues/19/14.php">SKA SA encourages young, local skills development</a></p>
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    They’re also developing these super computers to process the vasts amounts of data (without needing to buffer…)  Press release on that <a href="http://ska.ac.za/releases/20130311.php">here</a>
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    <em>When the SKA is completed, it will collect Big Data from deep space containing information dating back to the Big Bang more than 13 billion years ago. The aperture arrays and dishes of the SKA will produce 10 times the global internet traffic*, but the power to process all of this data as it is collected far exceeds the capabilities of the current state-of-the-art technology.  </em>
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    Here’s a picture to show there’s at least one woman on site (woohoo!  Although I’m quite jealous)
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    <img alt="image" src="http://ska.ac.za/newsletter/issues/19/images/0102.jpg" />
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    This is where they’re building the room of no escape, to stop those naughty radio waves from getting out:
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    <img alt="image" src="http://ska.ac.za/newsletter/issues/19/images/0103.jpg" />
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    Have I mentioned that I find this all VERY EXCITING?  Do they need an energy engineer I wonder… 🙂</p>
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