The committee concluded that large telescopes are required to answer some of the most fundamental questions in astronomy. However, smaller telescopes can be built and launched more quickly to answer specific questions, to respond to technological innovations, and to train future generations of scientists. The Prioritized Instrumental Program Progress in astronomy often comes from technological advances that open new windows on the universe or make possible large increases in sensitivity or resolution. During the 1990s, arrays of infrared detectors, the ability to build large optical telescopes, improved angular resolution at a variety of wavelengths, new electronic detectors, and the ability of computers to process large amounts of data will make possible an improved view of the universe. Paralleling these breakthroughs in observational capability are greater demands on astrophysical theory that are being met with new generations of computers.
Modern instruments reveal details that often require sophisticated models for their interpretation.
Successfully comparing the results of observations with the constructs of theory, and predicting new phenomena, will require deeper understanding of astrophysical processes, more clever algorithms, more computational power, and improved knowledge of physical constants. The survey committee divided its recommendations for instrumental initiatives into categories of large, moderate, and small programs, depending on the scale of the necessary resources. The four large programs recommended for construction in the 1990sare described below in order of priority. Plans for this telescope draw on a decade of progress in the technology of building large mirrors. With spatial resolution of a tenth of an arcsecond at a wavelength of 1 mm, the MMA would bring new classes of objects into clear view for the first time.