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Paper: A lunar polar infrared observatory
Volume: 34, Robotic Telescopes in the 1990s
Page: 325
Authors: Lester, Dan
Abstract: The prospects for an infrared telescope on a permanently shadowed crater floor at the lunar pole are discussed, and the state of our knowledge about conditions in lunar polar craters is reviewed. The unique thermal environment in such a crater allows the cooling of large telescopes without expendable cryogens. This advantage, as well as other more generic conveniences of a lunar site, suggest that the long-term future for infrared astronomy may be strongly coupled to lunar development.
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