The failure here, is that ONR and Scripps, and maybe they did, but this is not only a historic scientific instrument, but one that is still valuable. They should have shopped it around to see who else could use it before letting it sit idle and then scraping it.
At the same time, I have seen working electron microscopes, oscilloscopes, etc just get "surplussed" but in the process of surplussing them, they are rendered inoperable. When we have a resource of such a magnitude, it is our duty to ensure that someone else uses it for its designed purpose, science.
At the same time, I have seen working electron microscopes, oscilloscopes, etc just get "surplussed" but in the process of surplussing them, they are rendered inoperable. When we have a resource of such a magnitude, it is our duty to ensure that someone else uses it for its designed purpose, science.