lukefrench

maestro64 said:

It is all about better Optics and honestly the French aren't known for optics, that is the German and Japanese expertise. But really how much high tech has been known to originate in France.

That is not NASA's opinion. 

They used Angenieux optics on the Gemini and Apollo missions (mounted on Leicas and Hassebalds), and they still use them today.
http://ai.onscreenasia.com/2015/03/thales-angenieux-aboard-nasas-dawn-mission/
Those were never mass products, but are wildly known for very low distorsion at big apertures, and much better quality than the Zeiss (Leica) equivalents.

More to the point, there is already a lot of research activity in optics going on at Grenoble, because there is a joint venture between Minalogic and ORA which are 2 research non-profits, funding about a third of 2 Md € in optic and mini-electronics.
http://www.minalogic.com/en/minalogic/about-minalogic-0

Woah, that is really pushing the sarcasm knob to eleven !

Now, what is strange is that so few pundits will do that. All the tech press should be out with pitchforks on the RT, but . . . nothing !