Stormy weather puts damper on research

MAGDALENA, N.M. (KRQE) - The wet weather may be a welcome change for some after the hot streak but for scientists studying space in the Magdalena Mountains it is a major inconvenience.

Heavy cloud cover means that work at the Magdalena Ridge Observatory (MRO) must stay closer to Earth. Scientists who use the massive 2.4-meter telescope to study the solar system cannot do it when it is overcast because condensation cannot get inside the instrument.

“They'll do engineering work, take things off the telescope, put things on, any thing they might be able to do without opening the [telescope] dome,” New Mexico Tech Professor of Physics Van Romero, Ph.D said.

On clear days the scientists use the telescope to study the solar system including asteroids, comets and other things that might cross the path of the Earth. Another building will one day house telescopes for observing black holes. Romero believes the work done at MRO could one day save the Earth.

“There are certain asteroids that we know are going to come very close to the earth in about 20, 30 years and we want to make sure we keep track of those so we know what's going to happen,” Romero explained.

Working close to 11,000 feet above sea level can have its drawbacks. Last Friday, seven New Mexico Tech researchers were stranded after a landslide left dirt and rocks strewn all over the road. Off-road vehicles were needed to get the group down.

The MRO has contracts with NASA, the Department of Defense and the National Science Foundation but Romero explained that the organizations fully understand the limitations imposed by Mother Nature. Cloudy nights and nights for maintenance and engineering are factored into the schedules.

To date, $60 million has been spent on building the space research facilities at MRO. By the time everything is completed, it will cost close to $100 million.