April 2018 - 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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M-41?
by Joe Bauman 30 Apr '18

30 Apr '18

Hi fellow Utah Astronomy folks, I thought you might like to see short gif, which shows a view of Comet 67P taken by the Rosetta spacecraft. The foreground streaks are bits of dust and/or ice blowing off the comet while the background shows the stars, which appear to moving downward (caused by the rotation of the spacecraft around the comet). An ESA expert identified the stars as part of Canis Major. What I find particularly intriguing is the cluster that appears at the top and quickly disappears behind a wall. I think it must be M-41. Or is it something else? Best wishes, Joe https://www.cnet.com/uk/news/rosetta-comet-67p-surface-comes-alive-in-new-g…

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LX200
by Mark Shelton 29 Apr '18

29 Apr '18

Hi fellow Astronomers, I’m in need of some advice. I have a 10” Meade LX200 that I have used so much for outreach that I have worn the threads in the bottom of the telescope out. It’s just catching a few threads of the tripod now and will be not usable soon. I figure I have set up my scope over 300 time in the last few years. My question.............. what would be the best fix for my telescope ???? Got any ideas. Worn out in Souther Utah Sent from my iPhone

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Oceanside Photo and Telescope
by astrodeb＠beyondbb.com 25 Apr '18

25 Apr '18

Hi! I just found out OPT is having a sale on their merchandise. Here is one example. I missed the Christmas sale so I may take advantage of this. Skies are clear again in Southern Utah. https://optcorp.com/collections/zwo-asi-224/products/zwo-asi-224-uncooled-c… Debbie

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Cosmology round-up
by Joe Bauman 21 Apr '18

21 Apr '18

Dear fellow astro-folks, In my previous blog I began a discussion about cosmology. The latest rounds out the discussion with examples of other theories, ending our cosmology talks for now. Please take a look at http://the-nightly-news.com/blog/blog-47-more-ideas-about-cosmology and let me know what you think. Thanks very much, Joe Bauman

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Kelly-Chuck
by Joe Bauman 18 Apr '18

18 Apr '18

Chuck, All of us who know you and Kelly are very sympathetic and concerned. I wish her a fast, complete recovery and I hope both of you can find the strength to get through this without too much mental anguish. We are looking forward to happier times at the Left Fork! Best wishes, old friends -- Joe

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Various
by Chuck Hards 18 Apr '18

18 Apr '18

For those who don't know, Kelly was rear-ended coming home from work on March 28th. She suffered head injuries. She is home and doing better slowly, is getting medical treatment and we have secured an attorney to make sure her future needs are met. But the upshot is that it as put all of my spring time astronomy desires on-hold. I had intended to get re-certified on the SPOC scopes this year and spend more time on club issues, but the accident and legal issue have taken all of my time. I've only managed to re-cert on the Ealing so-far. I want to schedule a L&O session soon and still hope to salvage some of this year, astronomy-wise, but everything depends on Kelly's recovery. Another thing that kicked me in the butt is that my helper at work quit last week, after I spent a year and a half training him. His issues weren't with me, thankfully, but his rate of pay, which I have very little say in. He gave me a glowing report in his exit interview. But now I'm short-handed again, keeping me at work more than I was counting on this year. He may be replaced but any new person will start at the bottom of the training program and be of very limited help for months and months. So thanks for understanding if I don't come-through on any issues immediately.

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Lakeridge Jr High Star Party moved to Saturday 21st
by John M. Craig 18 Apr '18

18 Apr '18

Hi Folks, In case anyone was thinking about helping, but hadn't contacted me, we've moved the date to Saturday because of weather concerns on Friday night (we hope the forecast is accurate enough that it'll be clear on Saturday evening). The moon and Venus sure were gorgeous last night (had commitments that didn't allow getting a telescopic view but sure enjoyed the naked eye version). Happy viewing! John

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More SLAS
by Joe Bauman 14 Apr '18

14 Apr '18

A person I asked to relay a message to SLAS Talk — simply that I would not be silenced — now has been kicked out too. More to come, Joe Bauman Sent from my iPhone

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SLAS
by Joe Bauman 14 Apr '18

14 Apr '18

The purpose of this note is to raise a red flag about underhanded actions, including censorship, in one of the regional astronomy groups, the Salt Lake Astronomical Society. In February I resigned as vice president of the group because of some extremely disturbing trends and some shocking rudeness at the board of directors meeting -- including one board member refusing to allow my wife to sit at an empty chair at the table beside her, and another snapping "None of your business" to her innocent question. In addition, a clique has formed that apparently seeks to exclude others, with highly age-discriminatory comments about older people like myself. I also was simmering about the secrecy involved in naming the new observatory, and the fact that -- without any discussion with the board or the group about the name -- it was officially named the Kolob Observatory. Anyone in Utah should know that Kolob has a special meaning as a sacred planet for members of the LDS religion. On Wednesday, Dave Bernson, the club's president -- who has talked with me extensively about the name debacle -- announced that he is resigning as of the next general meeting, which is on Wednesday. Last night I posted the following on the club's official discussion site on Facebook, SLAS Talk. As dues-paying members, my wife and I should have full access to the site and to be able to express ourselves freely. But this morning I find that I can no longer reach the site, as I am obviously banned from it. Here is the comment that brought my down: "The sad fact is, Jared, for some inexplicable reason the club had attracted a lot of ego-driven folks who are much more interested in asserting themselves and driving out what they see as old people than they are in astronomy. They would rather use public money to build an observatory and name it for a particular denomination’s religious beliefs than to accommodate people of any or no religion. With that kind of faction bowling over everybody else, it gets so ridiculous that all a normal person can do is to retire from active management. It’s truly disheartening." If whoever did this thinks it will silence me, that person is sadly mistaken. More to come. Thank you, Joe Bauman

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