March 2016 - Utah-Astronomy - mailman.xmission.com

Re: [Utah-astronomy] Last night's lecture
by Joe Bauman 11 Dec '18

11 Dec '18

Brent, speaking of the ISS, I have wondered if it could be put into an orbit that continuously cruised between Earth and Mars. When it swung by Mars it could drop off and retrieved crews. I don't see how the radiation would be any worse than the ISS crews are already exposed to. ------------------------------ On Wed, Feb 25, 2015 8:18 AM MST Brent Watson via Utah-Astronomy wrote: >I attended the lecture last night on trajectories. It was really a good, stimulating talk. Thanks for passing the word along. >There were some interesting side comments made about our launch capabilities and the Mars One effort. Mr. Adamo was not at all enthusiastic about the Mars One effort. His opinion is that the effort is doomed because there is not really a way to assure that folks going there would be safe - primarily from radiation. He has done some work with a former flight surgeon on designing a spacecraft to go to Mars. Their result is that in order to get sufficient shielding (using a water jacket), the spacecraft's mass would be around 380 metric tons. That is for a small crew, probably only about 5 members. For a point of comparison, the ISS mass is 400 metric tons. He made the comment that an astronaut who made this trip could only go to space once in this craft, and then he would be at the limit of radiation exposure for his life. The NASA limit is an increased risk of developing cancer of 5%. >That brings us to our current launch capability. Our latest heavy lift rocket - the one we are currently developing - will have the capability to lift 130 metric tons to a very low earth orbit. So low, in fact, that it would burn up at perigee. The Apollo 17 Saturn 5 rocket lifted 140 metric tons into earth orbit -- higher than the new rocket will go. (I am sorry, but my mind will not allow me to recall the name of our currently being designed rocket.) Recall that it took several dozen shuttle launches to assemble the ISS. The Mars One vehicle would require either a hugely more massive launch rocket or a similar effort to build the craft. >As I mentioned, it was a very intellectually stimulating lecture and did involve several ordinary differential equations. They were nicely explained in English by Mr. Adamo. This was the first time I have seen some real math put to Kepler's laws. There were many charts showing what it takes to leave the earth and go to the moon or Mars. It was a very well done lecture. >The above is my recollection of the lecture, and may not actually represent the opinions of Mr. Adamo. It is only my interpretation of what he said. He knows his stuff, that is apparent. Thanks Patrick and Dr. Sohl for passing the word along. >_______________________________________________ >Utah-Astronomy mailing list >http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy > >Send messages to the list to >Utah-Astronomy(a)mailman.xmission.com > >The Utah-Astronomy mailing list is not affiliated with any astronomy club. > >To unsubscribe go to: >http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy >Then enter your email address in the space provided and click on "Unsubscribe or edit options".

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Astronomy Technology.
by Daniel Holmes 15 Mar '16

15 Mar '16

Saw this on the Denver astro list. https://www.astronomytechnologytoday.com <https://www.astronomytechnologytoday.com/> Looks to be a neat magazine, been around a few years. They have a special discount on the online edition, $12 off a 1 year sub (making it free!), or a 2 year sub (making it $6), and it gives you access to their archives. Type in ‘club’ in the subscriber discount code. Looks like there’s a little something for everyone in there… Dan -- Daniel Holmes, danielh(a)holmesonics.com "Laugh while you can, monkey boy!" -- Lord John Whorfin

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telescope recommendations question
by Kate Magargal 11 Mar '16

11 Mar '16

Hi all, I'm writing now for some advice on giving advice about purchasing a telescope for an educational venue. I am frequently involved in astronomy/night sky outreach programs at the University of Utah's Rio Mesa Center <http://riomesa.utah.edu/>, which is located about an hour out of Moab. Over the past four years, I have been giving naked eye laser tours and using my aging 6" Muksatov-Cassegrain for some telescopic views. I am now told the budget of the field station may have about $1000 to purchase a telescope. I have a lot of experience using different types of telescopes and their accessories, but I'm not so up to speed on what some good options might be for spending this money. Of course I'd like as much bang for the buck as possible, especially in terms of aperture since this is a relatively dark sky site. Something that comes with or can have a tracking motor added within the $1k price would be great too. I will probably be the primary person operating the scope and I am not a huge fan of go-to mounts, but if anyone has opinions or thinks a good aperture and a go-to mount can fit in a $1k budget, I'd love to hear about it. Two relevant details: 1) Dust. This site is about 9 miles down a dirt road and really can't be protected fully from the dust. Open-tube dobs would probably be totally out. 2) Generally speaking, this scope will be stored about 50 feet from where it will usually be used. Transportability is not a big deal. If anyone has been keeping up on their low to mid-range scope options for some novice dark sky observing, let me know what you think! I'd also be interested to know if anyone has some equipment they think would suit this site that they have been thinking about getting rid of. Thanks for your input! k -- ----------------------------------------- Kate Magargal PhD Student Anthropology Department University of Utah ------------------------------------------

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SLAS Scheduled Presentations
by Joan Carman 09 Mar '16

09 Mar '16

All SLAS general meetings are free to the public, held in the Calvin T. Rampton Technology Building on the Salt Lake Community College, Taylorsville Campus in Room 207 or 203 (next door to each other). Meetings start at 7:30 p.m. Free parking after 7:00 p.m. on lot R north of the building. March 16 Jonathan Barnes, SLCC, The Era of Big Data in Astronomy or How to Be an Astronomer from your Living Room Couch April 20 Dr. Sydney Chamberblin, The Discovery of Gravitational Waves May 18 Chuck Hards, SLAS Member, The Moon Watch Program of the 1950s June 15 Timothy Parker, JPL - Mars

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Al Nagler as a kid
by Chuck Hards 09 Mar '16

09 Mar '16

I got a good laugh out of this: http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii24/JethroTull1958/Cartoons/Al%20Nagler…

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Jupiter
by Chuck Hards 08 Mar '16

08 Mar '16

The Great Red Spot will cross Jupiter's central meridian at about 9:04 PM tonight, MST. Jupiter is at opposition tomorrow.

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OT Marble Machine
by Brent Watson 03 Mar '16

03 Mar '16

Who remembers making marble machines out of books in your desk in school? Watch the following Youtube video and its follow-ons to be really impressed. Chuck - when can we expect to see one made by you? The Marble Machine is Finished! 2000 marbles, 3000 parts | | | | | | | | | | | The Marble Machine is Finished! 2000 marbles, 3000 parts | | | | View on www.youtube.com | Preview by Yahoo | | | | |

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Gunlock Reservoir Tues night?
by astrodeb＠beyondbb.com 01 Mar '16

01 Mar '16

My buddy and I are talking about going to Gunlock Reservoir tomorrow night for some winter/spring stargazing. I drove out there Sunday and the bathrooms are open. I may eat dinner out there and watch the sun set over the lake. If anybody in Southern Utah is interested in coming out there, let me know. I'll be on the blacktop near the boat ramp with my 15 in. Obsession telescope. Clear Skies, Debbie

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