[AstroNet] SMALL CHANGE TO PREVIOUS STATEMENT - AFRICA CELEBRATES SKA BID OUTCOME

[Marina Joubert]

Africa celebrates SKA bid outcome
- Majority share of iconic telescope is coming to the African continent
28 May 2012, Pretoria, South Africa
 
"We have always said that we are ready to host the SKA, and the world has
listened to us," Ms Naledi Pandor, South Africa's Minister of Science and
Technology said at a crowded media briefing on 25 May 2012 in Pretoria,
South Africa. She thanked her colleagues in government, South Africa's SKA
team, partners across Africa and the many participating scientists and
students for their excellent work over the last nine years that helped to
secure the majority of the SKA for Africa.
 
I am ecstatic! I'm happy for our scientists, I'm happy for our country, I'm
happy for Africa! We've done it! Who would have thought? I'm thrilled!" -
Minister Pandor
 
Since the announcement that South Africa, along with its eight SKA partner
countries in Africa, will host the entire mid-frequency array of the iconic
SKA telescope congratulatory messages have been pouring in from around the
globe praising the hard work of the South African SKA team and the
unwavering support for Africa's site bid from the South African government.
 
Media representatives from newspapers, radio and television stations around
the world attended the official briefing session in Pretoria, with many more
joining the press conference via a video link to Cape Town. The announcement
coincided the celebration of Africa Day.
 
In their announcement, Members of the SKA Organisation acknowledged that
Southern Africa was identified as the preferred site for the SKA by the
independent SKA Site Advisory Committee, but added that the majority of the
Members were in favour of a dual-site implementation model - an inclusive
approach that was deemed to be scientifically justified, as well as
technically and financially viable.
 
The next step for the SKA is a detailed design and pre-construction phase
(2013 - 2015) followed by the construction of SKA Phase 1 - making up about
10% of the total instrument. Scientists should be able to use SKA Phase 1
for research by 2020. By that time construction on SKA Phase 2 should be
underway (2018 - 2023) with full science operations commencing by 2024.
 
"Very relieved!" This is how Professor Justin Jonas, Associate Director:
Science and Engineering, SKA South Africa, felt when he learned the outcome
of the site bid. "We've been waiting for this decision for a very long time
- it has been a long, hard road," Prof Jonas said. "Up to now the SKA
project could not really move forward. At last we can now move into the
really exciting phase - the detailed design and building of the SKA."
 
Prof Jonas, who is also at the Physics Department at Rhodes University, has
been a key role player in developing and defending South Africa's SKA site
bid since 2001.
 
"The announcement that the majority of the gigantic SKA telescope will come
to Africa is a fantastic outcome for the continent," he said. "It maximises
South Africa's scientific and engineering contribution and means that all
the work we've done up to now - and everything we do from here onwards -
will contribute to the SKA."
 
"I always knew that our bid was very competitive. After we were shortlisted
for hosting the SKA in 2006, we worked even harder to fine-tune our site bid
and we presented an exceptionally viable and robust implementation plan for
the SKA."
"We chose our site very carefully - remote enough to do the science, but not
so remote that infrastructure development and operations becomes too
difficult and too expensive. These were deliberate and calculated decisions
based on thorough analysis of the requirements of the SKA - and it paid
off!"
 
Professor Jonas is very excited about the implications of the SKA site
decision for the role that South Africa's MeerKAT telescope will play in the
future of the SKA. 
 
"The decision recognises MeerKAT as a key instrument that will make up one
quarter of SKA Phase 1 mid-frequency array, and the science planned for SKA
Phase 1 is very similar to the MeerKAT science case - just much more
ambitious," he explains. 
 
"Our researchers and students who participate in the MeerKAT surveys have a
huge advantage. They are well placed to enter SKA Phase 1. They have the
opportunity to become science leaders in future SKA projects."
 
Up to 2016 South Africa will be constructing the 64 MeerKAT dishes in the
Karoo and construction on 190 SKA Phase 1 dishes should start more or less
when MeerKAT is complete. 
 
"The design of the SKA dishes is not yet final, but they should look similar
to the Gregorian-offset dish design chosen for MeerKAT," Prof Jonas expects.
 
SKA SOUTH AFRICA -  <http://www.ska.ac.za> www.ska.ac.za
 
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