Astro-SPAM that some might be interested in... --- On Fri, 2/12/10, gschneid@email.arizona.edu <gschneid@email.arizona.edu> wrote: From: gschneid@email.arizona.edu <gschneid@email.arizona.edu> Subject: July 11 Total Solar Eclipse, 9-1/2 min. Totality! EFLIGHT 2010 from Tahiti To: rathnasree63@yahoo.co.uk, rayabrooks2@cs.com, raymo@bu.edu, rbrown84@gmail.com, rbs@flashspectrum.com, rconrad@bestweb.net, rdchim105@aol.com, rdp@star.ukc.ac.uk, reed007@stargate.net, reinhold@rechtsanwaelteimquadrat.de, renate@innovationsintravel.com, renka03@aol.com, retenney@yahoo.com, rfienberg@SkyandTelescope.com, rgraul@pro.onet.pl, rhminor@comcast.net, richard.Judd@btconnect.com, richard.i.monk@ntlworld.com, richard.p.ditteon@rose-hulman.edu, richard_i_monk@ntlworld.com, richardeadawson@yahoo.co.uk, rigel@stars.co.za, rilex_la@yahoo.com, ring@obs.ee, rinocasella@libero.it, rita@gordonspark.com, rittmanns@aol.com, rivastro@aol.com, riverbendastro@att.net, rjbouma@wxs.nl, rlongo@ralservices.com, rmarjan@freemail.org.mk, rmollise@aol.com Date: Friday, February 12, 2010, 6:54 PM July 11 Total Solar Eclipse, 9-1/2 min. Totality! EFLIGHT 2010 from Tahiti Dear Fellow Umbraphiles and Eclipse Chasers, I have some really amazing news to share with you regarding the 11 July 2010 total solar eclipse (a LONG time in the works). Over the past year I have worked to enable the “ultimate” eclipse flight – something we literally will never be able to surpass until/unless a new era in civil supersonic flight should arise in our lifetimes. How does:        *** NINE AND A HALF MINUTES OF TOTALITY sound? Now, how does:      *** NINE AND A HALF MINUTES OF TOTALITY @ 39,000 ft sound? OK, How about,     *** 9-1/2 MINUTES OF TOTALITY @ 39,000 ft ABOVE ALL THE LOCAL WEATHER IN AN A319 ACJ/LR AIRCRAFT – WITH ALL SEATS ON THE SUN-FACING SIDE OF THE PLANE REMOVED FOR OPTIMAL AND UNIMPEEDED ACCESS TO ECLIPSE VIEWING WINDOWS sound? Well, that is NOT an umbraplillic daydream – we are going to DO IT! I’m going to save a lot of writing here and point you to this web page that explains it all.     http://nicmosis.as.arizona.edu:8000/ECLIPSE_WEB/TSE2010/EFLIGHT2010.html Read the rest of this first (or in parallel to clicking over there), but DO go there for more details.  In BRIEF summary here... - “EFLIGHT 2010” will launch from Papeette, Tahiti, French Polynesia on the morning of 11 July for an appx 7 hour round-trip flight to observe TSE 2010 from appx 2500 km East of Tahiti. - With all of the sun-side seats removed we will be able to accommodate only 41 eclipse-chasers.  Nominally, twenty of the 31 sun-facing (left side) windows will be available for individual use (two windows are already “taken”). Nine other windows will be available for shared viewing use by “partners” (two people sharing a window). - With the statistically averaged mid-July winds aloft for our location on mid-eclipse intercept of the umbral shadow at 19:20 UT we expect 9m 33s of totality (and 10m is within the operational envelope of possibilities, depending upon winds aloft on eclipse day). To turn this "concept" (but now a solid flight mission) into reality, I have been working with Rick Brown, who just returned from Tahiti where he had been looking into supporting in situ logistics and arrangements for the flight.  As usual, I am the “technical” guy, and not involved in reservations and bookings for the flight.  That is where Rick comes in.  The above web page links to his with information on how you may join in this truly historical eclipse flight. This will be a spectacular and unprecedented opportunity we will not be able to repeat.  My only regret is that we were unable to arrange this sooner. With ~ 9-1/2 minutes of totality @ 39,000 ft (obviating concerns of ground-based weather) I do expect seats (and windows) will go very quickly – so have a look at the details. I hope to see many of you (up to 40 others our aircraft can carry), 12 km above the Earth, basking in the Moon’s shadow for much longer than nature ever intended! Cheers, Glenn Schneider Steward Observatory The University of Arizona Tucson, Arizona 85721 USA http://nicmosis.as.arizona.edu:8000/ECLIPSE_WEB/TSE2010/EFLIGHT2010.html