Gaddafi orders $16m telescope.

LIBYA has ordered a $US13 million ($16m) telescope from France, which will give it the finest astronomical views in North Africa, the French magazine Ciel et Espace reported today.

The telescope was ordered by Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, who has a passionate interest in astronomy, the magazine reported in its January issue.

Built by Sagem, a French electronics group, the telescope lens will be 2m wide and remote-controlled.

Link

Now that Gaddafi has 'rejoined the fold', why the heck does he want a telescope?
I find it interesting that it will be supplied by France and remote-controlled. Remote-controlled by who
and for what reason.?

Sanc'.

If I had as much money as he does, why not spend $16 million on a telescope?

Nothing seems unusual about this and it does not suprise me at all to find that he has an interest in astronomy. As for the issue of it being remote controlled, I suspect that's so he can use his new toy no matter where he happens to be at the time.

my sub-$1000 scope is also remote controlled by either a handset or from my pc to point at specific parts of the sky.

Costing $16M it's gonna be a biggie so not the sort of thing you wanna be hand-cranking around all night

Can't see anything at all sinister or out of the ordinary in this.

Originally posted by Britguy
my sub-$1000 scope is also remote controlled by either a handset or from my pc to point at specific parts of the sky.

Costing $16M it's gonna be a biggie so not the sort of thing you wanna be hand-cranking around all night

Can't see anything at all sinister or out of the ordinary in this.

Well, it will also allow him to track sattelites with extreme precision. The US/Great Britian have an extensive telescope network that they use to track sattelites with great precision.

www.af.mil...

Oh bother. I've got a one-word, one liner post and now I've got to dribble on for a bit before I say it:

Laser.

And like Starwars said. Satellite tracking. There. I feel much better now, and I hope I am wrong.

[edit on 4-1-2005 by Chakotay]

Can't see that he'd be all that interested in tracking satellites with it.
Orbital data for all commercial satellites can be found very easily on the net. There would be no point in buying a scope for tracking non-commercial types as he'd first have to know their orbital paths and have tracking info and besides, there'd be bugger all he could do about them anyway.

I really can't see anything more than an astronomical application for this. Realistically, if the US, UK, France, Germany etc were to install a telescope would it really be such an item of interest?

I think that all indications point to Khaddafi staying out of the terrorist biz for good. You get to a point where you're old, and lose too many family members, and then decide it ain't worth it. I think he's been at that point for years now.

Originally posted by Britguy
Can't see that he'd be all that interested in tracking satellites with it.
Orbital data for all commercial satellites can be found very easily on the net. There would be no point in buying a scope for tracking non-commercial types as he'd first have to know their orbital paths and have tracking info and besides, there'd be bugger all he could do about them anyway.

I really can't see anything more than an astronomical application for this. Realistically, if the US, UK, France, Germany etc were to install a telescope would it really be such an item of interest?

Of course no one needs a nice telescope to track commercial sattelites, but spy sattelites? First, you use a decent radar system to get a general location of a sattelite (it doesn't take much to find something in low-earth orbit) the use the telescope to pinpoint it.

Even if he has intentions of being a model world citizen, it is still nice to know when you are being watched.

Maybe he's going to use the telescope to channel a super laser and ask the world for one Billion Dollars ( Id ask for pounds or Euro's) Or he just likes astronomy.

I dunno, he could track "Some" spy satelites but most of em are probably "hidden" away. Heck the most important ones probably run off of a nuke reactor and painted black so as not to reflect light. Methinks a Radio Telescope would be much more usefull in tracking spy satellites IMHO. I think hes a space geek, SpaceShipOne really inspired him

Maybe he just has an interest for astronomy? 16$ is not THAT much when it comes to telescopes and similar things, but he probably just wants to look for incoming missiles

Originally posted by phlake
Maybe he just has an interest for astronomy? 16$ is not THAT much when it comes to telescopes and similar things, but he probably just wants to look for incoming missiles

I doubt it would be all that effective though. If it was for that purpose then he has to be the dumbest dictator ever.

Come on, give the old guy a break. Can't he just get himself a new toy without having an alterior motive to it?

Well one thing it "Could" be used for is scavenged material like electronics? Do telescopres in that range used electronics? If so how sophisticated? CmdKeenKid Where r u...

he bought the telecsope to find the footprints on the moon....that way he can say that the us was never there.

but seriously, hes been a quiet little dictator for a while overall, let him waste his countries money, and lets leave him alone until we hear hes doing something bad with whatever he buys

Originally posted by Gazrok
I think that all indications point to Khaddafi staying out of the terrorist biz for good. You get to a point where you're old, and lose too many family members, and then decide it ain't worth it. I think he's been at that point for years now.

I agree allthough it doesn't hurt that the guy in the whitehouse has no problem bombing the crap out of tinpot dictators with delusions of grandeur now does it?

I agree allthough it doesn't hurt that the guy in the whitehouse has no problem bombing the crap out of tinpot dictators with delusions of grandeur now does it?

True...but I doubt a telescope will help him in that regard....