Astronomy Predictions for next decade

[AstroTiger]

right guys,

So with our new 2010 calendars up, another decade has since passed.

What do we think the next ten years will bring for astronomy?

do we think another man will land on the moon?

Do we think we will go to Mars?

My main interest and the progress i am most watching out for is this new generation of telescope.

The one outlined in eyes on the skies.

These new style mirrors sound amazing to me, and the fact they use adaptive optics to provide hubble quality images is simply amazing.

into the bargain the fact they are introducing interferomety now into visible astronomy.

The fact we will be able to see so much further into space.

I think with that technology in place we stand to learn loads more.

But what do we all think?

If you were going to William Hill now with your tenna, what would you bet on happening?

[Ant]

The adaptive optics isn't new for amateur scopes - Martin has been using adaptive optics for at least a year and a half. I saw it working at Kelling last year.

I think that most funding for space travel (Moon or Mars) will continue to be cut as most people do not realise just how important it is (and what inventions came out of the last space race).

I think with my tenner I'd bet that we wouldn't go to Mars...

Ant

[brianb]

What do we think the next ten years will bring for astronomy?

I think the most important (but rather unspectacular) advance will be automated survey scopes like PanSTARRS finally getting going ... wiping out amateur discoveries of comets & supernovae and putting visual observations of variable stars onto the critical list. However I'm sure that amateurs will raise their game, and still find a niche in which they can out-compete the big boys.

do we think another man will land on the moon?

Do we think we will go to Mars?

In the next 10 years? Very, very unlikely, and not an earthly. Eventually, yes, and almost certainly. In my lifetime (I'm 56 & in reasonable health); even money and I'd be very, very surprised (but delighted).

[skye at night]

My tenner at mr ladbrokes would be an accumulator based on the following...

1 - I still don't manage to save enough cash to see a solar eclipse.

2 - it rains lots!

3 - I still don't manage to get an observatory underway!

4 - The Chinese put the next person on the moon..

(further tenner waged that it is a Chinese woman)

5 - Nasa plans for a manned Mars mission are shelved for at least 10 years.

6 - Spirit and Opportunity join in the first 'off-earth' civil? partnership and start a colony of hybrid Martian rovers.

etc, etc,

Steve

[Astro_Baby]

I'd bet the Chinse will put every other telescope maker out of business in 10 years.

Costs for scopes will rise back to the sort of levels that were around in the 70s.

Higher tech scopes become available, commercial volume products for adaptive optics automatic GoTo and automatic photographic systems making scopes as easy to use and as quickn to get pictures from as a digital camera.

I'd bet we dont make it back to the moon in 10 years. Mars will be a no no for sure.

When I was a kid people were predicting we'd get to Pluto by 1986 on nuclear powered space ships

Actually take a close lok at our space technology and you'll see the biggest dollar spend is not to look ouwards but to look inwards back to Earth. Most satellites look down rather than up

More budget cuts on the way right across the board which when combined with a few other finance things coming from central government which are not being reported by the media will have a swingeing effect on UK universities and a consequent knock on to research and as ever astronomy (already cut to the bone) will have to mek more cuts (scuse me 'efficiency savings').