TITLE:
Useful Life of Astrophysical Scientific Facilities
AUTHORS:
Patricia Marquez, Oibar Martinez, Jose Miguel Miranda
KEYWORDS:
Lifespan, Obsolescence, Astrophysical Instruments, Telescopes
JOURNAL NAME:
World Journal of Engineering and Technology,
Vol.9 No.4,
November
10,
2021
ABSTRACT: Large-scale astrophysical facilities have become increasingly relevant in certain key areas of scientific research but typically require strong financial investments. It is,therefore,crucial to gain a deep understanding ofwhat could be a foreseeable lifespan of a given instrument before providing the required fund to build it. In this paper,we intend to contribute to this understanding with a study of the lifespan of past, current and future observatories and telescopes. The methodology has been based on the compilation of relevant data from twenty telescopes, three of them mounted on space satellites and the other seventeen distributed worldwide. An analysis of the main limiting factors that affect the lifetime of an astrophysical facility is also presented.