By
G. O. Okeng'o
“Many
have asked me this question; students, politicians, colleagues and
media.. here is a quickly 'put-together' answer to quench your
'thirst' and illuminate your thoughts on what the “Tom” and
“Dick” of astronomy are up to...." (G. O. Okeng'o,
2012 )
A
brief summary of the answers to this question can be found by reading
the “introduction” part of the International Astronomical Union's
(IAU), “Astronomy
for the Developing World Strategic Plan 2010–2020”
which can be downloaded online by following the
link: http://iau.org/static/education/strategicplan_091001.pdf.
But
in a very brief sense, historically, from the times of Socrates,
Plato and Aristotle (the great greek philosophers who laid the
foundations of science), Claudius Ptolemy, Nicolaus Copernicus, Tycho
Brahe, Galileo Galilei, Johannes Kepler, Isaac Newton, Albert
Einstein and the rest (the great scientists who made outstanding
discoveries that revolutionized
science), astronomy has played a
major role in the development of modern
science, upon which all technology
today is based. In particular, development of devices for
astronomical applications such as charge coupled devices (CCD's) and
high resolution imaging cameras, have not only found various
applications in many industrial applications, but have also led to
spin-offs in fields such as medicine (X-rays, imaging e.t.c),
military sciences, GPS and radio communications, engineering,
software technology et cetera, that are of economic significance.
The
main reason is that astronomical problems are challenging, and,that
the universe offers a unique laboratory in which the laws of science
can be tested under extreme conditions-conditions that are impossible
to replicate here on earth-(and one does not need permission from
anybody to access this laboratory!), astronomy, therefore, seeds
curiosity among people, and this curiosity intertwined with attempts
to confront 'real' world problems has lead to new technological
inventions.
A
good example to illustrate this is the Square Kilometer Array: Since
it's inception 2005, the South African government through it's South
African Square Kilometer Array (SKA) Project has
given over 400 bursaries to South African and African students to
obtain PhDs and Msc's in areas as diverse as engineering, technology,
astrophysics, cosmology, radio astronomy etc (see www.ska.ac.za).
Besides this, cutting-edge technologies have also been developed,
and, are being developed, new road networks have been created, data
link, storage and analysis skills and networks have put in place
among others, and above all a vibrant network of enthusiastic young
engineers, radio astronomers, technicians and software developers has
been created, here in Africa, and the number continues to grow... And
with a major portion of the SKA set to be build in South Africa and
it's 8 African partner countries (including Kenya), the scientific
heat is increasing and the scientific, economic, technological and
social benefits that Africa stands to gain are enormous...
From
improved infrastructure, better technology, growth of African
companies and enterprises, establishment of international links and
skills transfer, to an increase in high-skilled people and a highly
motivated future young mathematically and science oriented
generation, these are just a few of the many possible gains that
Africa is likely to experience from an international project of this
magnitude. It is also important not to also forget that 'everything'
in future is headed towards looking into space: weather monitoring,
agriculture, defense, nuclear testing, astro-mining and geology, good
science; countries are gearing towards utilizing space for these and
many more socio-economic activities. Ignoring space sciences in going
into the future, therefore, will not only put a passive nation in the
receiving end but will also leave it buried in yesteryear
technologies...
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