Free Baker-Nunn telescopes
I thought I'd pass this on in case anyone here might be interested. I spoke to the guy a few minutes ago to make sure the offer is real. patrick ------ Hello- I am a new member to the group, and represent one of the newest space museums; the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum in McMinnville, Oregon. While the air museum side has been open for a number of years (we're home to Howard Hughes' Spruce Goose), we opened our 120,000 sq. ft. space museum this last June. We do not have a planetarium (yet) but do have a lot of artifacts from the entire history of the space program. The reason I am posting is to let the group know that Evergreen has a pair of Baker-Nunn Satellite Tracking Cameras available to any planetarium, space museum or science museum that would like them. We were originally given three of them by a donor in Corvallis, Oregon. We restored one and have it on display, but we have two more in an off- site storage building. Unfortunately, we are being evicted from that building and have to get rid of the cameras quickly. I'd hate to see them scrapped, thus the offer... For those not familiar, the B-N cameras were 20" Schmitt telescope/ cameras used to photograph satellites (primarily Soviet), and track their orbits in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory used a number of them at locations around the world. They are big, weighing approximately 3.5 tons each. I understand that some enterprising amateur astronomers have modified them for comet watching. The cameras we have are available "as is, where is." They will need to be re-assembled and restored. We have an excellent set of manuals that our restoration team worked from, and we will be happy to provide copies. You will have to move them from McMinnville (approximately 45 miles southwest of Portland, OR) at your expense, although we do have a fork lift to help load them. I can provide digital pictures; just email me at stewart.bailey@sprucegoose.org, and I will be happy to send pictures of the cameras and of our restored copy. Thanks for your consideration! Sincerely, Stewart W. Bailey Curator Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum
Hummm. Would one of these be any good for SPOC? -- Joe --- On Tue, 11/25/08, Patrick Wiggins <paw@wirelessbeehive.com> wrote: From: Patrick Wiggins <paw@wirelessbeehive.com> Subject: [Utah-astronomy] Free Baker-Nunn telescopes To: "utah astronomy listserve utah astronomy" <utah-astronomy@mailman.xmission.com> Date: Tuesday, November 25, 2008, 7:59 PM I thought I'd pass this on in case anyone here might be interested. I spoke to the guy a few minutes ago to make sure the offer is real. patrick ------ Hello- I am a new member to the group, and represent one of the newest space museums; the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum in McMinnville, Oregon. While the air museum side has been open for a number of years (we're home to Howard Hughes' Spruce Goose), we opened our 120,000 sq. ft. space museum this last June. We do not have a planetarium (yet) but do have a lot of artifacts from the entire history of the space program. The reason I am posting is to let the group know that Evergreen has a pair of Baker-Nunn Satellite Tracking Cameras available to any planetarium, space museum or science museum that would like them. We were originally given three of them by a donor in Corvallis, Oregon. We restored one and have it on display, but we have two more in an off- site storage building. Unfortunately, we are being evicted from that building and have to get rid of the cameras quickly. I'd hate to see them scrapped, thus the offer... For those not familiar, the B-N cameras were 20" Schmitt telescope/ cameras used to photograph satellites (primarily Soviet), and track their orbits in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory used a number of them at locations around the world. They are big, weighing approximately 3.5 tons each. I understand that some enterprising amateur astronomers have modified them for comet watching. The cameras we have are available "as is, where is." They will need to be re-assembled and restored. We have an excellent set of manuals that our restoration team worked from, and we will be happy to provide copies. You will have to move them from McMinnville (approximately 45 miles southwest of Portland, OR) at your expense, although we do have a fork lift to help load them. I can provide digital pictures; just email me at stewart.bailey@sprucegoose.org, and I will be happy to send pictures of the cameras and of our restored copy. Thanks for your consideration! Sincerely, Stewart W. Bailey Curator Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum _______________________________________________ Utah-Astronomy mailing list Utah-Astronomy@mailman.xmission.com http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Visit the Photo Gallery: http://gallery.utahastronomy.com Visit the Wiki: http://www.utahastronomy.com
On 25 Nov 2008, at 20:34, Joe Bauman wrote:
Hummm. Would one of these be any good for SPOC? -- Joe
I didn't think so. But I mentioned it to Bruce. No interest. patrick p.s. Maybe in your backyard? Maybe it was the one that used to be on Kwajalein (http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19650075764_1965075764.... ).
There WAS something like that in a little observatory not far from our home, fairly close to the beach as I remember. I think it was used to photograph missile launches from Kwaj. Ah, home sweet home. jb --- On Tue, 11/25/08, Patrick Wiggins <paw@wirelessbeehive.com> wrote: From: Patrick Wiggins <paw@wirelessbeehive.com> Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Free Baker-Nunn telescopes To: "Utah Astronomy" <utah-astronomy@mailman.xmission.com> Date: Tuesday, November 25, 2008, 8:43 PM On 25 Nov 2008, at 20:34, Joe Bauman wrote:
Hummm. Would one of these be any good for SPOC? -- Joe
I didn't think so. But I mentioned it to Bruce. No interest. patrick p.s. Maybe in your backyard? Maybe it was the one that used to be on Kwajalein (http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19650075764_1965075764.... ). _______________________________________________ Utah-Astronomy mailing list Utah-Astronomy@mailman.xmission.com http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Visit the Photo Gallery: http://gallery.utahastronomy.com Visit the Wiki: http://www.utahastronomy.com
How much can freight be really??? Go for it Joe, I'll build you a mount for your camera. ;) Quoting Joe Bauman <josephmbauman@yahoo.com>:
There WAS something like that in a little observatory not far from our home, fairly close to the beach as I remember. I think it was used to photograph missile launches from Kwaj. Ah, home sweet home. jb
--- On Tue, 11/25/08, Patrick Wiggins <paw@wirelessbeehive.com> wrote:
From: Patrick Wiggins <paw@wirelessbeehive.com> Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Free Baker-Nunn telescopes To: "Utah Astronomy" <utah-astronomy@mailman.xmission.com> Date: Tuesday, November 25, 2008, 8:43 PM
On 25 Nov 2008, at 20:34, Joe Bauman wrote:
Hummm. Would one of these be any good for SPOC? -- Joe
I didn't think so. But I mentioned it to Bruce. No interest.
patrick
p.s. Maybe in your backyard? Maybe it was the one that used to be on Kwajalein (http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19650075764_1965075764....
).
_______________________________________________ Utah-Astronomy mailing list Utah-Astronomy@mailman.xmission.com http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Visit the Photo Gallery: http://gallery.utahastronomy.com Visit the Wiki: http://www.utahastronomy.com
_______________________________________________ Utah-Astronomy mailing list Utah-Astronomy@mailman.xmission.com http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Visit the Photo Gallery: http://gallery.utahastronomy.com Visit the Wiki: http://www.utahastronomy.com
Guy, I'm afraid my backyard can't accommodate a camera that size ... But the mount you built for my 12" works beautifully! I spent Sunday night in the Emery County desert with my telescope and everything worked great -- except there was a transmission problem in getting the photos from the camera into the laptop. That was because of interference from either the power supply or from a too-long USB cable that got tangled. But the tracking was tack-in, using a refractor in the mount. -- Joe --- On Tue, 11/25/08, diveboss@xmission.com <diveboss@xmission.com> wrote: From: diveboss@xmission.com <diveboss@xmission.com> Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Free Baker-Nunn telescopes To: utah-astronomy@mailman.xmission.com Date: Tuesday, November 25, 2008, 9:05 PM How much can freight be really??? Go for it Joe, I'll build you a mount for your camera. ;) Quoting Joe Bauman <josephmbauman@yahoo.com>:
There WAS something like that in a little observatory not far from our home, fairly close to the beach as I remember. I think it was used to photograph missile launches from Kwaj. Ah, home sweet home. jb
--- On Tue, 11/25/08, Patrick Wiggins <paw@wirelessbeehive.com> wrote:
From: Patrick Wiggins <paw@wirelessbeehive.com> Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Free Baker-Nunn telescopes To: "Utah Astronomy" <utah-astronomy@mailman.xmission.com> Date: Tuesday, November 25, 2008, 8:43 PM
On 25 Nov 2008, at 20:34, Joe Bauman wrote:
Hummm. Would one of these be any good for SPOC? -- Joe
I didn't think so. But I mentioned it to Bruce. No interest.
patrick
p.s. Maybe in your backyard? Maybe it was the one that used to be on Kwajalein
(http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19650075764_1965075764....
).
_______________________________________________ Utah-Astronomy mailing list Utah-Astronomy@mailman.xmission.com http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Visit the Photo Gallery: http://gallery.utahastronomy.com Visit the Wiki: http://www.utahastronomy.com
_______________________________________________ Utah-Astronomy mailing list Utah-Astronomy@mailman.xmission.com http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Visit the Photo Gallery: http://gallery.utahastronomy.com Visit the Wiki: http://www.utahastronomy.com
_______________________________________________ Utah-Astronomy mailing list Utah-Astronomy@mailman.xmission.com http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Visit the Photo Gallery: http://gallery.utahastronomy.com Visit the Wiki: http://www.utahastronomy.com
Hi Joe, On 26 Nov 2008, at 11:34, Joe Bauman wrote:
Guy, I'm afraid my backyard can't accommodate a camera that size ... But the mount you built for my 12" works beautifully! I spent Sunday night in the Emery County desert with my telescope and everything worked great -- except there was a transmission problem in getting the photos from the camera into the laptop. That was because of interference from either the power supply or from a too-long USB cable that got tangled. But the tracking was tack-in, using a refractor in the mount. -- Joe
Good to hear that your astroimaging efforts are paying off. Did you get any pictures you'd like to share? Speaking of pictures, I see a bunch of folks have seen and others taken pictures of the wayward NASA tool bag. Better still, Heavens Above shows that the bag will pass right through Cassiopeia on the 6th and 6th. It should be visible from darker sky locations with binoculars. And, just for laughs and way off topic, here's a montage of 43 year old photos I've been attempting to restore. Still not perfect but much better than the originals: http://users.wirelessbeehive.com/~paw/temp/PW3.JPG
My son would like a telescope for Christmas. I would like to get one that is not too expensive and yet still good enough to be worth buying. A reflector type; perhaps with a software system to find objects. There are a lot of assorted scopes on amazon.com in the $200 to $300 range. Would anyone have any opinions or recommendations on telescopes in this range? or a recommendation of another range if it would be more appropriate......
On 27 Nov 2008, at 17:54, Darin Christensen wrote:
My son would like a telescope for Christmas. I would like to get one that is not too expensive and yet still good enough to be worth buying. A reflector type; perhaps with a software system to find objects. There are a lot of assorted scopes on amazon.com in the $200 to $300 range. Would anyone have any opinions or recommendations on telescopes in this range? or a recommendation of another range if it would be more appropriate......
Hi, Orion Telescopes carries a number of scopes in that range. Have a look here: http://www.telescope.com/control/category/~category_id=dobsonians/ ~ pcategory=telescopes;jsessionid=8A5BC004D3F90E1850A8DA3BF95E9FBB.ivprod2 Cheers, patrick
So, I guess these won't fit in the back of my Explorer... Kim -----Original Message----- From: utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com [mailto:utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com] On Behalf Of Patrick Wiggins Sent: Tuesday, November 25, 2008 8:00 PM To: utah astronomy listserve utah astronomy Subject: [Utah-astronomy] Free Baker-Nunn telescopes I thought I'd pass this on in case anyone here might be interested. I spoke to the guy a few minutes ago to make sure the offer is real. patrick ------ Hello- I am a new member to the group, and represent one of the newest space museums; the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum in McMinnville, Oregon. While the air museum side has been open for a number of years (we're home to Howard Hughes' Spruce Goose), we opened our 120,000 sq. ft. space museum this last June. We do not have a planetarium (yet) but do have a lot of artifacts from the entire history of the space program. The reason I am posting is to let the group know that Evergreen has a pair of Baker-Nunn Satellite Tracking Cameras available to any planetarium, space museum or science museum that would like them. We were originally given three of them by a donor in Corvallis, Oregon. We restored one and have it on display, but we have two more in an off- site storage building. Unfortunately, we are being evicted from that building and have to get rid of the cameras quickly. I'd hate to see them scrapped, thus the offer... For those not familiar, the B-N cameras were 20" Schmitt telescope/ cameras used to photograph satellites (primarily Soviet), and track their orbits in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory used a number of them at locations around the world. They are big, weighing approximately 3.5 tons each. I understand that some enterprising amateur astronomers have modified them for comet watching. The cameras we have are available "as is, where is." They will need to be re-assembled and restored. We have an excellent set of manuals that our restoration team worked from, and we will be happy to provide copies. You will have to move them from McMinnville (approximately 45 miles southwest of Portland, OR) at your expense, although we do have a fork lift to help load them. I can provide digital pictures; just email me at stewart.bailey@sprucegoose.org, and I will be happy to send pictures of the cameras and of our restored copy. Thanks for your consideration! Sincerely, Stewart W. Bailey Curator Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum _______________________________________________ Utah-Astronomy mailing list Utah-Astronomy@mailman.xmission.com http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Visit the Photo Gallery: http://gallery.utahastronomy.com Visit the Wiki: http://www.utahastronomy.com No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG. Version: 7.5.549 / Virus Database: 270.9.10/1811 - Release Date: 11/25/2008 8:29 AM No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG. Version: 7.5.549 / Virus Database: 270.9.10/1811 - Release Date: 11/25/2008 8:29 AM
from what I read about the history and development of the Baker-Nunn satellite cameras, the big problem and one of the main reasons why the cameras were so good is the use of a fluorite corrector element that was highly water soluble. when a lens was found to be pitted beyond a reasonable point, a new one was shipped to the site and the damaged unit was shipped to be polished and then sent to another Baker-Nunn site needing a fresh corrector. the 2 Baker-Nunn cameras need to be 'refurbished' and I'm sure this will be a real rescue mission. Film was placed in a holder that is curved to match the focal plane please read FILM. On another note anyone have a couple used Losmandy clutch plates?? I need them for eyepiece sunshields on solar scopes. aloha Rob if anyone would like historic photos of the Haleakala Baker-Nunn site, let me know and I'll send them on
participants (6)
-
Darin Christensen -
diveboss＠xmission.com -
Joe Bauman -
Kim -
Patrick Wiggins -
Rob Ratkowski Photography