At a time of rising competition from India and China--not only in manufacturing but also in high tech--and of concern over jobs creation at home, we're about to seriously handicap our own cutting-edge technology companies and domestic startups by crippling an instrument that's key to their survival and success.
In addition to its use as a single instrument, the telescope is a key element of the UK's Multi-Element Radio-Linked Interferometer Network (Merlin) high-resolution radio-imaging array.