#Robert c byrd green bank telescope driver

The NRQZ encompasses approximately 13,000 square miles near the state border between Virginia and West Virginia. The National Radio Quiet Zone (NRQZ) was established by the Federal Communications Commission in 1958 to minimize possible harmful interference to NRAO and additional federal facilities in Sugar Grove, West Virginia.

In September of this year the Astro 2020 Decadal Survey, the preeminent forecaster of American astronomy, recognized the Green Bank Telescope as a vital part of the future of scientific research in the United States.īut what about the “land of no wifi?” This narrative about our area is much more complex than click-bait headlines will have you believe.

#Robert c byrd green bank telescope driver

It is recognized by state leaders as an economic driver for the state of West Virginia. The Observatory is the second largest employer in Pocahontas County, and a major attraction for regional tourism, alongside Snowshow Mountain ski resort and the Monongahela National Forest. Two-thirds of Observatory funding come from the federal government through the National Science Foundation, while remaining funding comes from contracts with universities and businesses, including West Virginia University. The Observatory is owned by federal government by the National Science Foundation. The Green Bank Observatory (formerly the National Radio Astronomy Observatory/NRAO) was established in 2017 when it was separated from the NRAO at that time, under the direction of the federal government and National Science Foundation.

But what do you really know about this place?

The sprawling 2,700-acre campus has been in Green Bank as long as many residents of Pocahontas county, West Virginia can remember. The Green Bank Observatory campus viewed from above, featuring many historic and active instruments, including the Green Bank Telescope, upper left with the backdrop of the Monongahela National Forest.