Ed Stone, executive director of the Thirty Meter Telecope, has seen plans diverted by the course of history long before an uprising over Hawaiian cultural and environmental concerns threatened to up-end this latest project atop Mauna Kea. His own career path, in fact, took a slight swerve nearly from the start.
“I thought I would be doing nuclear physics,’ he said, given that era’s intense interest in atomic power. “I was in my second year at the University of Chicago. But then in October 1957, Sputnik was launched.”
So it turned out to be space physics that consumed his academic and professional attention and much of his personal life, too — though Stone’s wife, two daughters and two grandsons are also in that star-filled viewscreen.
Formerly director of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Stone also oversaw the 10-meter W.M. Keck telescopes on Hawaii island. Stone is still a physics professor and vice provost for special projects at the California Institute of Technology.
And now that the permit for the TMT project has been upheld by the Hawaii Supreme Court, there’s hope that years of delay might be coming to an end — although continuation of protests seems a certainty.
The TMT is not the first project that Stone, 82, has pursued as a boon to science. His specialization lies in building instruments for the study of space, and in 1972 he became the chief scientist for the Voyager. Having gathered data from Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune, the spacecraft continues exploration of space between the stars.
The hope now, Stone said, is that TMT can persuade critics of its value to Hawaii. Beyond the creation of jobs, this is measured in initiatives such as the THINK Fund, contributing more than $1 million annually for the past four years to Hawaii island school programs.
“We believe we can all coexist on the mountain, take care of it and share in its stewardship,” he said.
Question: Can you provide a brief update on the more immediate next steps for TMT development?
Answer: First, we are very grateful for the court’s decision on the matter and we want to thank everyone who participated in the process, as well as our supporters during this long journey.
As for when we plan to resume construction, a lot of it will have to do with fulfilling the requirements of the state Conservation District Use Permit that was needed for the project. There are numerous preconstruction conditions and requirements that must be met prior to any construction, and the timing of that will help determine our timeline.
Another factor is how much time the contractor will need to re-mobilize their crew and equipment for the job. …
Q: How would you characterize the commitment to the Mauna Kea site at this stage? Is Canary Islands, or another site, still in the running?
A: Although Hawaii is TMT’s preferred site and the best place in the Northern Hemisphere to observe the universe, the challenges over the past several years have led the TMT International Observatory Board to develop a “Plan B”: an alternate Northern Hemisphere site on which to construct the observatory.
This alternate site is La Palma, Canary Islands, Spain, and we will continue the process there to enable TMT to be built in La Palma in case it is not possible in Hawaii.
Q: What state support do you expect here, from the governor or other parties, in terms of dealing with the opponents’ anticipated resistance to the start of construction?
A: We expect to have the state and county’s assurance in providing safe passage for our workers. We respect the right of a peaceful and lawful protest. The union workers on this project also have the right to safely travel to their work site to perform their jobs.
Q: What are the stewardship commitments TMT can make to the Native Hawaiian community, and to others who have environmental concerns?
A: During the last 10 years of the project’s planning process to gain the necessary approvals for construction, we have respectfully followed the state’s laws, procedures and processes. …
We felt the recent and lengthy contested case hearings in Hilo on the permit application allowed everyone on both sides of the issue an opportunity to express their views and positions on the matter. The opponents also had an opportunity to make their arguments to the Supreme Court as well.
Great care was taken to identify the best location for TMT. … The selected site is below the summit, has no archaeological shrines or features, and has no burials. …
The telescope will be built about a mile away from the Mauna Kea summit, and at an elevation 600 feet below it. TMT will be visible from only 15 percent of Hawaii island, away from most of the island’s general population. This was carefully and fully addressed during the recent contested case hearing, in which experts testified that TMT would not impact cultural practices. TMT will be designed to leave zero waste on the mountain.
All waste material and wastewater will be collected and transported down the mountain for treatment. No wastewater will be released in the summit area. …
Moving forward with the project, we will continue to respect and follow state and county regulations as we determine our next steps.
Q: Could you lay out the advantage Mauna Kea offers over other contenders for the project, from a scientific perspective?
A: Located above approximately 40 percent of Earth’s atmosphere, the site at Mauna Kea has a climate that is particularly stable, dry and cold; all of which are important characteristics for capturing the sharpest images and producing the best science.
Q: Will the telescope facility accommodate technological enhancements in the coming years? And what happens when the University of Hawaii master lease expires in 2033?
A: TMT will be 156 times more powerful than the space-based Hubble telescope and its advanced technology will transform the way we think about the universe and our place in it.
TMT represents the next generation of optical and infrared technology. It will enable astronomers to see farther into our universe and reach back toward the beginning of time, facilitating unprecedented research and discovery. …
TMT will enable discoveries that we cannot even begin to anticipate today. Because TMT will be a ground-based telescope, it will be possible to upgrade the scientific instruments on TMT to take advantage of future advances in technology.
Some opposing TMT have also argued that the telescope will have less than 10 years of operation before it also needs to be decommissioned, since the UH master lease on Mauna Kea ends in 2033. …
There are no guarantees of this, but we believe that continuing astronomy in Hawaii after 2033 would be in the best interest of UH, the state, the science community and the world. Mauna Kea is still the best site in the Northern Hemisphere for exploring the universe.
Q: In what ways would TMT advance Hawaii’s opportunities as a scientific and academic asset?
A: The local astronomy industry began in Hawaii 50 years ago. The 1960 tsunami devastated the Big Island, and local leaders saw astronomy as a way to help revitalize the economy.
In a similar fashion, TMT will be a key player of the astronomy community in contributing to the recovery of Hawaii island’s economy following the recent Kilauea eruptions.
We strongly feel this project will benefit not only the science world, but the state of Hawaii. Part of that is the creation of jobs through this project.
We promise to be good stewards of the mountain and will eventually pay rent of $1 million annually that will be a significant contribution to the stewardship of the mountain. At the same time, we will also honor the history of the island and its people. …
The TMT project is much more than a debate between science and culture. There are many other people who consider Mauna Kea special: hunters, tour operators, tourists and artists. Mauna Kea is everyone’s mountain, with everyone regarding it as special.
