The purpose of the trip was to see how culture and astronomy relate as the GCA seniors have also been learning about the controversial TMT (Thirty Meter Telescope).
The TMT Observatory Corporation board of directors had selected two sites, one in each hemisphere, in Cerro Armazones, in Chile’s Atacama Desert, and Mauna Kea is on Hawai’i Island.According to a press release, the California Institute of Technology and the University of California have received a $200 million commitment over nine years from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation toward the further development and construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope.When built, the TMT will not only be the largest optical-infrared telescope in the world, but it will also be at the forefront of technology in virtually every aspect of its design. Adaptive optics will allow the TMT to achieve a resolution superior to that of the Hubble Space Telescope.”The impressive scope of this project has now been matched by the extraordinary generosity from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. Caltech and the UC System are thrilled with the foundation’s confidence in the project, and we and our partners are eager to create a history-making tool that will allow us to see farther into the universe than ever before,” said Caltech President Jean-Lou Chameau.The GCA seniors noted, however, that many local native Hawaiians see Mauna Kea as their sacred ground and a place where Gods dwell. These Hawaiian groups strongly oppose the construction of the TMT and other observatories on Mauna Kea.The GCA students attended meetings with guest speakers like Sandra Dawson, the task leader of TMT, Ed Stevens, local cultural practitioner and board member, Stephanie Nagata, Interim Director of the Office of Mauna Kea Management, and Al Honey, astronomer and guide for the Keck Observatory.According to GCA senior Tiffany Yokoyama, “The trip was educative, gave us a chance to learn more things about the Mauna Kea, and we also got a chance to see the largest telescope inside the Subaru and Keck Observatory.”
The GCA seniors also had the chance to visit Akaka Falls, Lolani Palace, Mission House and even attended a luau in Kona.The students then left for California where they visited Cal Tech University and its Astronomy Center, which is currently controlling a telescope in space.They later went up to Mt. Wilson and saw the Hubble Space Telescope, the very first space telescope.The students also had the chance to visit the Knott’s Berry Farm Amusement park, which is the very first amusement park in the United States.
