Introduced by John Maddox
There is a crisis in British optical astronomy. Younger astronomers complain that they have little access to really good telescopes at a very exciting time in astronomy. It is argued that in high-cost science, and astronomy has become costly, there is no point in being anywhere except at the forefront, Plans for a new well-equipped observatory are being discussed by the Science Research Council. But even if it were completed by the early 1980s, wouldn'the best work then be done from orbiting space telescopes?
Producer DAVID PATERSON followed by an interlude