What would you do with $1billion for astronomy?

You keep asking, and this week we answer you! Come hear what Fraser and Pamela would do if they were given complete control over $1billion that had to be used for astronomy.

EPISODE INFO
Title: What would you do with $1billion fr astronomy?
Recorded: 9 November 2025, Episode 773 (Season 19)
Hosted by: Fraser Cain and Dr. Pamela L. Gay

SHOW NOTES
What if we had $100B or even $1 trillion to explore the cosmos?
Ground-based observatories: big science at surprisingly low cost
Pamela’s dream: VLT North or Vera Rubin North in the Canary Islands
Funding the Breakthrough Starshot interstellar mission
Fixing the grant system: fully funding 50–100 researchers for a decade
A $100M lunar interferometer mission to study stellar surfaces
Affordable rover missions and rideshares to the Moon and Mars
Solar sails: low-cost missions for asteroids and deep space exploration
Supporting innovative ideas through expanded NIAC-style funding
The value of small missions as testbeds for future breakthroughs
Investing in next-generation planet hunters: “super PLATO / mini Kepler”
Follow-up to Gaia using infrared to map hidden stars and brown dwarfs
Ultimate wish list:
-Radio telescope on Moon’s far side
-New orbital Great Observatories
-Successor to Chandra for high-energy universe
-Nulling interferometers to find Earth-like worlds
-Solar gravitational lens telescope for megapixel exoplanet imaging
Importance of Mars Sample Return for life detection
Fleets of robotic telescopes for public education and research

This show is supported through people like you on Patreon.com/AstronomyCast

In this episode, we'd like to thank: Andrew Poelstra, BogieNet, Brian Cagle, Burry Gowen, David, David Rossetter, Ed, Gerhard Schwarzer, Jason Kwong, Jeanette Wink, Michael Purcell, Sergey Manouilov, Siggi Kemmler, Sérgio Sancevero