Back in June, it was revealed that the National Reconnaissance Office would be gifting NASA with two high-end secret space telescopes. Why an intelligence agency would just unload two expensive telescopes like that remains a mystery, but NASA’s perfectly happy to take their leftovers considering the budget they operate under. The agency’s now accepting proposals from the community on what to do with their newfound plethora of scopes. Please, nobody suggest a thorough study of Uranus.
NASA explains the variety of things they could accomplish with their unexpected boon:
“Because there are two telescopes, there is room for projects that span the gamut of the imagination,” said Michael Moore, a senior program executive at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “They range from simple balloon flights to complex missions in science using new technologies under development and the capabilities available with the International Space Station and our commercial space flight partners.”
Proposals will be accepted until January 7th, and are required to be four pages or less of “no smaller than 12 point type.” So, if you have a sweet idea for what to do with two awesome space telescopes, and feel like reliving high school English, feel free to submit it.
(RFI via NASA, image courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltech/T. Pyle)
- The original report on NASA getting two sweet telescopes
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