From the BBC Environment website, something signalling a return to really important science? Maybe not, according to this other item there.
A decision is due later on where to site one of the great scientific projects of the 21st Century. Australia and South Africa have been competing to host the 1.5bn-euro (£1.2bn) Square Kilometre Array, a giant next-generation radio telescope. Its targets will be light sources in the sky that radiate at centimetre to metre wavelengths.
For Australia, the array would be centred on a site at Boolardy Station, about 500km (310 miles) north of Perth in Western Australia. For South Africa, the central location would be in the Karoo in the Northern Cape, about 95km from Carnarvon. But the sheer scale of the SKA means individual radio antennas would spread to New Zealand in the case of the Australian architecture, and into a number of neighbouring states and even Indian Ocean islands in the case of South Africa.
These include the clouds of hydrogen gas in the infant Universe that collapsed to form the very first stars and galaxies. The SKA will map precisely the positions of the nearest billion galaxies. The structure they trace on the cosmos should reveal new details about “Dark Energy”, the mysterious negative pressure that appears to be pushing the Universe apart at an ever increasing speed. The telescope will also detail the influence of magnetic fields on the development of stars and galaxies. And it will zoom in on pulsars, the dead stars that emit beams of radio waves that sweep across the Earth like super-accurate time signals. Astronomers believe these super-dense objects may hold the key to a more complete theory of gravity than that proposed by Einstein.
Read the rest of the item here.
Meanwhile, deep cuts at NASA, where the planetary robotics missions have taken a big hit in Obama’s latest budget round:
Nasa’s science chief has told planetary scientists he is “in there fighting for you” after the swingeing cuts proposed to the robotic exploration budget.
Former astronaut John Grunsfeld was speaking at the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference in Texas.
He faced hundreds of researchers at a special session to explain the 21% cut to planetary science in President Obama’s latest budget request for Nasa.
The decision forced the agency to pull out of joint Mars missions with Europe.
More here.
Tallbloke's Talkshop 
The ALMA PROJECT is to be completed in 2013:
http://www.eso.org/sci/facilities/alma.html
everyone’s a winner, the decision is to host the SKA in both countries:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-18194984
“South Africa and Australasia had put forward separate, competing bids, and the early indications had been that there would be one outright winner.
But the SKA organisation decided both proposals should contribute something to the final design of the telescope.
We have decided on a dual site approach,” said SKA board chairman Prof John Womersley.
He was speaking at a news conference held at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport following a meeting of the organisation’s members in the Dutch capital.”
In what is presumably a politically correct decision. the two countries will share the array. It seems that Australia’s long tradition of excellence in radio astronomy and hosting of international scientists could not be ignored, but “other considerations” needed to be taken into account. Let’s hope the science isn’t compromised by the split location, and presumably diluted funding.
Why do the planetary scientists have to take a hit when Hansen and GISS are still funded? NASA has now well and truly lost its 60s mojo. Time for NASA loyalists to setup a picket line outside GISS until it is defunded, I reckon.
As in most companies when the budget gets tight the last thing that gets cut is the department that has the most promise of generating additional taxes/income. The first to go are the truly needed services that generate no revenue, that’s why once a company starts to slide into negative income areas, the bankruptcy is sure to follow as all of the customer support areas die, the sales base goes quickly behind it.
I have seen this happen at several companies I have worked for.
On topic the wider base from two sites will increase resolution and be more politically stable.
As Chris M asks why not defund the Hansen crew which will surely bring all of NASA into disrepute. I don’t understand how such an organisation can stand by while it’s brand is trashed.
See the latest letter to NASA chief Boldren from 41 ex NASA scientists and engineers:
Ouch!