Thirty-Meter Telescope Research Paper

411 Words2 Pages

“Our stance is not against science. It’s not against the [telescope] itself, It’s against their choice of place,” Lanakila Managauil argued. The Thirty-Meter Telescope, or TMT, is planned to be built on top of Mauna Kea and is going to be used for space research (TMT.org). But, Native Hawaiians protested this telescope being built for many suitable reasons. This telescope should not be built because of the excessive funds, telescopes have already been built on the mountain, and Mauna Kea is sacred land to the Native Hawaiians. Indeed one of the main reasons why this telescope should not be built on Mauna Kea is because of the excessive funds. The costs for building this new telescope are estimated at $1.4 billion (Fox). The funds from the telescope could instead go to another project that could be located elsewhere so that the public do not get angry. Although the telescope could provide more space research, it’s not worth building a telescope that is going to cost …show more content…

The scientists explained that the telescopes are not being built anywhere near sacred land and that there have been no archaeological findings beneath the surface (Fox). The location of this new telescope will not affect Mauna Kea’s sacred land. Although the site is not being built near sacred land, Native Hawaiians still want to preserve their land and culture. To them, Mauna Kea is important because it is their land, not the scientists land. Nevertheless, constructing the TMT on Mauna Kea is outright wrong. Fundings for this project are over $1.4 billion, telescopes have already been built, and Native Hawaiians want to protect their sacred mountain. By constructing research for this current argument, I realized that Mauna Kea is also important to me since I have Hawaiian in my blood too. Overall, this telescope should not be build on Mauna Kea so that Native Hawaiians can preserve their essential mountain that has been worshiped for many