Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST) is a Chinese mega-science project to build the largest single dish radio telescope in the world. Its innovative engineering concept and design pave a new road to realize a huge single dish in the most effective way. FAST also represents Chinese contribution in the international efforts to build the square kilometer array (SKA). Being the most sensitive single dish radio telescope, FAST will enable astronomers to jump-start many science goals, such as surveying the neutral hydrogen in the Milky Way and other galaxies, detecting faint pulsars, looking for the first shining stars, hearing the possible signals from other civilizations, etc.
1.Chinese Acad Sci, Natl Astron Observ, Beijing 100012, Peoples R China 2.Chinese Acad Sci, Key Lab Radio Astron, Nanjing 210008, Peoples R China 3.CALTECH, Jet Prop Lab, Pasadena, CA 91109 USA
