Video: Advice on selecting a telescope

August 16, 2013 TopSpacer

The Slashdot technology forum site posted this two part introduction to telescopes for amateur astronomy:

Bruce Berger is an IT guy, but he’s also an amateur astronomer who takes at least one aspect of astronomy more seriously than most sky-watchers. Not content with what he could buy when he first wanted a telescope of his own, Berger set out to make one — it turned out so well, he says he’ll never part with it, and he’s made several others since, and taught many other people to do the same. In this pursuit, he’s also been a long-time member of the Amateur Telescope Makers of Boston, including a stint as the group’s president. (Berger’s custom license plate reads “SCPMKR.”)

In the video Berger discusses what to look for in telescopes.

Amateur Astronomer Bruce Berger Talks About Meteors and Telescopes (Video) – Slashdot

In the next video, Berger continues with advice

on telescope selection and purchasing. He mentions Orion, a telescope vendor he seems to respect, along with other sources for both new and used equipment. Which should you buy (or build): A reflector or a refractor telescope? Bruce talks about how you should make your selection based on what you want to view, your skill level, and how much time and/or money you have available.

Amateur Astronomer Bruce Berger Talks About Telescopes, Part II (Video) – Slashdot

History, Space Collecting, Space films and videos

Space memorabilia inspires Disney’s Tomorrowland film

August 16, 2013 TopSpacer

Robert Pearlman writes an interesting story that connects a “dusty old box” found in the Walt Disney archives with the Tomorrowland movie coming out in 2014 with George Clooney in a leading role: Disney’s ‘Tomorrowland’ movie inspired by space memorabilia – collectSPACE

History, Living in Space

Winner of 2013 Sacknoff Prize for Space History announced

August 16, 2013 TopSpacer

Here’s an announcement from the journal Quest: The History of Spaceflight:

“Rethinking the Overview Effect” named winner
of 2013 Sacknoff Prize for Space History

Jordan Bimm earns cash prize, trophy, and publication in Quest.

“Rethinking the Overview Effect,” has earned York University (Toronto Canada) graduate student, Jordan Bimm, the 2013 Sacknoff Prize for Space History.

Established in 2011, the annual prize is designed to encourage students to perform original research and submit papers with history of spaceflight themes. The winner receives a $300 cash prize, a trophy, publication in the peer-reviewed journal, “Quest: The History of Spaceflight,” and an invitation to present at the annual meeting of the Society for the History of Technology.

Over the years, the Prize has seen entries from students at universities throughout the world with papers covering a wide range of topics — from early animal research to the Korean space program; from women engineers at NASA Marshall in the 1960s to the public diplomacy behind the astronaut world tours; from a history of space debris to NASA’s Space Flight Participant program.

The winning paper from Mr. Bimm, a third year PhD student in Science and Technology Studies, focuses on how historical perspectives can offer insights into why we think what we think about space and how this matters. His paper, takes a look at the 1987 book, The Overview Effect by American author Frank White who coined the term to describe a collection of positive mental experiences reported by astronauts and cosmonauts returning from outerspace. The idea that viewing the Earth from space fundamentally changes people “for the better” has resonated with a number of important groups, including space psychologists, space industry advocates, politicians, members of environmental and peace movements, and most recently, members of the public with an interest in space. However, looking at the historical data, Mr. Bimm’s research suggests the overview effect is only one possibility among many for the human experience of viewing the earth from outerspace,

The jury was coordinated by Dr. David Christopher Arnold, the publisher of Quest, and consists of members of the Society for the History of Technology—Albatross Committee (aerospace).

More information about the Prize and the journal can be found at: www.spacehistory101.com

Contact:Scott Sacknoff

The Sacknoff Prize for Space History

scott@spacebusiness.com

Space Policy

Space policy: NASA IG warns of overruns and delays for Orion crew module

August 15, 2013 TopSpacer

Even with five billion dollars spent already on the the Orion capsule, it will still need a billion dollars a year for many more years :

Five billion is far more than will be spent on the Commercial Crew Program, which by 2015-16 will have two and perhaps three crew vehicles ready for flight. Orion’s deep space capability in no way justifies that huge difference in cost. The SpaceX Dragon and the Boeing CST-100 as well are plenty capable of deep space missions.

A combo of a Dragon with an inflatable habitat module such as that from Bigelow Aerospace is the transportation architecture of the Inspiration Mars mission.