Science slowdown
Recent federal shutdown just the latest shock in a deepening funding crisis
DATA BRAKES The Green Bank radio telescope in West Virginia was idled by October’s government shutdown, which scientists say exacerbated an already difficult funding situation.
© Jim West/Alamy
For two weeks in October, the largest maneuverable radio telescope in the world stood still. With the federal government shut down and the employees who control the Green Bank telescope on furlough, the research of astronomers around the world came to an abrupt halt.