In the pursuit of intelligent life from outer space, more than 9,000 people will be displaced in China as government officials ordered them to evacuate to build the world's largest radio telescope that is scheduled to be completed in September.
These forced evictions will be China's latest attempt to show the nation's thriving scientific community as they delve into the hunt for extraterrestrial life. When the telescope is already operational, it can scan the cosmos as 4,450 movable panels can reflect radio signals from the remotest parts of the universe from a 30-ton retina that is suspended above the dish.
This retina will be hanging some 150 meters above the moving panels which is capable of collecting radio waves from different regions of the galaxy and outer space for further study and analysis.
Dubbed as the world's biggest telescope, scientists call it FAST for Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope which will be located in a site in one of the poorest provinces, in Guizhou in southwestern China.
Engineers have began constructing this colossal telescope since 2011 where the panels are now two thirds completed, making up the 500 meter diameter of the telescope. To date, the largest telescope ever constructed is the 300 meter diameter Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico however China aims to beat this record.
Chinese officials also reveal how this new telescope will also be three to five times more sensitive and has the capacity to scan an area twice as large as the powers of the Arecibo.
According to chief scientist Li Di from the National Astronomical Observatories, using a larger receiver for signals adds more flexibility, as FAST will be able to scan more than twice the sky area than Arecibo, possessing three to five times sensitivity.
Li Di also adds how exploring the unknown is man's nature which is deeply rooted in humans like feeding and clothing ourselves. This is what drives us into a greater future.
China's scientific community is now expecting a lot from this breakthrough as the completion of the telescope is almost near. According to Chinese astronomer Shi Zhicheng, if intelligent aliens do exist, FAST can detect and receive these important messages that they left behind for humans to uncover, as they are being transmitted through space.
Li Di also believes that the completion of FAST can help China explore deeper into space and even observe asteroids including Mars. He adds how it can give China the opportunity to conduct frontier research.
However, last Wednesday the Chinese government announced that in order to complete the telescope, they would need to clear out a five kilometer radius around the telescope. According to Guizhou senior Communist party official, Li Yuecheng, relocations were necessary to create a sound electromagentic wave environment.
There are about 2,029 families, about 9,110 in total individuals from Pingtang, Guizhou province who will be forced to move out from their homes. FAST is estimated to cost US $254 million where each family will only receive roughly $1,800 in compensation for this inconvenience.