Science and spectacle : the work of Jodrell Bank in post-war British culture / / Jon Agar

• Autore: Agar Jon.
• Pubblicazione: New York : , : Routledge, , 2013
• Descrizione fisica: 1 online resource (283 p.)
• Disciplina: 522/.682/0942716
• Soggetto topico: Radio astronomy - Great Britain - History - 20th century; Science - Social aspects - Great Britain - History - 20th century; Popular culture - Great Britain - History - 20th century
• Note generali: First published by Harwood Academic, 1998.
• Nota di bibliografia: Includes bibliographical references and index.
• Nota di contenuto: Cover; Science and Spectacle; Title Page; Copyright Page; Table of Contents; List of Tables; List of Illustrations; Preface and Introduction; Acknowledgements; Chapter 1 Science in Post-war Britain; The Context of British Science; The Government Funding of Science; World War II and British Science; War Research; The Promotion of Scientific Advisors in Government; The Retention of War-time Organisation; Research in Post-War Britain; Increased Expenditure on Research; The Expansion of Education; Novel Post-War Sites for Science; A Novel Popular Audience for Science? ; Histories of Radio AstronomyNarratives and Sources; The Early History of Radio Astronomy; Two Historiographies of Radio Astronomy; Organizing Work and Discovery at Jodrell Bank; Jodrell Bank Research Programmes; Research Work; Summary; Chapter 2 Funding the Spectacle of Science; A 218 Foot Paraboloid; A Large Steerable Dish; Finding an Engineer; The Scientific Grants Committee of the DSIR; Peer Support: The Royal Astronomical Society; The SGC Again; The Significances of an Expensive Instrument; The University as a Site for Science ; Instrumental Malleability: Financial Problems, the Nuffield Foundation and the Ministry of SupplyThe Radio Telescope and the Financial Competence of Universities; Sputnik; The Radio Telescope Appeal; Doubts Remain; Discussion: The Contested Boundary between Government and Universities; Summary; Chapter 3 'A Great Public Spectacle': Prestige, Position and Power at Jodrell Bank; Publicity and the Management of Visitors; Photographs and the 'Grip of Publicity'; On Location: The Inquisitive Giant'; Managing the Press; The 'Problem' of Visitors Renewed ; Demonstrating the Telescope, Communicating with SatellitesSputnik Historiography; Sputnik in Britain; The Position of the Engineer; A Clear Message...: Authority and the Reith Lectures; ...and Interference: Public Actions and the Odd Letters; Discussion: Position; Chapter 4 Clearing the Air (Waves): Interference and Frequency Allocation for Radio Astronomy; The National and International Regulation of Radio; The Metaphor of Space - the Spectrum Reified; Radio Frequencies and the New Radio Astronomy; Stage One: Outsiders Seeking the Allocation of Frequencies; A New Ally: The Royal Society ; Territorial Expansion, Occupation of the Spectrum and a Suggested SalientThe Outsiders Come In; Stage Two: Insiders; Interlude: Cambridge, Jodrell Bank and the Gee Chain; Stage Three: The International Allocation of Frequencies; Conclusion; Chapter 5 Clearing the Ground: Bodily Control, the Radio Telescope and the Environment; Internal Discipline; The First Conflicts Over Local Development; The Electrification of the Railways and Grid Lines; Local Development Again; The Codification is Challenged: Appeals Against the Zones; The Legal 'Safeguarding of the Jodrell Bank Radio Telescopes' ; Conclusion
• Sommario/riassunto: Science and Spectacle relates the construction of the telescope to the politics and culture of post-war Britain. From radar and atomic weapons, to the Festival of Britain and, later, Harold Wilson's rhetoric of scientific revolution, science formed a cultural resource from which post-war careers and a national identity could be built. The Jodrell Bank Radio Telescope was once a symbol of British science and a much needed prestigious project for the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, but it also raised questions regarding the proper role of universities as sites for scie
• Titolo autorizzato: Science and spectacle
• ISBN: 1-317-74302-4; 1-315-79394-6; 1-317-74303-2
• Formato: Materiale a stampa
• Livello bibliografico: Monografia
• Lingua di pubblicazione: Inglese
• Record Nr.: 9910787890403321
• Lo trovi qui: Univ. Federico II
• Serie: Studies in the history of science, technology, and medicine ; ; v. 5.