June 2009 - Utah-Astronomy - mailman.xmission.com

Re: [Utah-astronomy] LCROSS: Antares lunar occultation of 6-6 and imaging LCROSS impact
by Canopus56 09 Jun '09

09 Jun '09

Please ignore this post. I meant to send it to a different newsgroup. - Clear Skies - Kurt

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] Interest in "LCROSS Crunch" event?
by Canopus56 09 Jun '09

09 Jun '09

Chuck, As to the Utah observing altitude, the nominal impact position is with the Moon over the Keck in HI. So, you're looking at 20 degs off the Utah southwest horizon. However, the MMT Observatory on Mt. Hopkins in Arizona and Gemini South in Chile are secondary participating telecopes. If HI is weather socked out, the LCROSS team may slip the impact time forward and use scopes on Utah's longitude as the primary spectroscopy data gatherers. (Don't count too much on this one; my impression is the LCROSS team is really set on using the Keck and IRTF.) As to lunar phase, once the target crater is selected finally, the impact will be timed so the crater is just inside the dark side of the terminator. This is necessary to have the impact plume rise up 10 kilometers into the sunlight where the sun's energy will generate enough of a spectroscopic signature in the dust to be gathered on Earth. But the illuminated plume also has to be framed against the dark background of the night sky behind the Moon. If the plume rises within bright side of the terminator, the spectroscopic signal gets washed out. MIssion parameters allow the impact anytime between lunar disk illuminated fractions of 37% to 93%, but again, with the target crater just inside the terminator. Various amateur (and one by the LCROSS team investigator) of the likely target sites between these illuminations can be found here: http://groups.google.com/group/lcross_observation/web/index-to-images and at Jim Mosher's informal LCROSS wiki pages: http://ltvt.wikispaces.com/LCROSS http://ltvt.wikispaces.com/LCROSS#toc5 The LCROSS team lead astronomer has time reserved on the IRTF on July 1 for northern lunar hemisphere observing. This has not been announced for amateur concurrent imaging (as occurred in Dec. and Jan.). But Jim's wiki page on the training session will give you some impressions of the illumination involved at impact: http://ltvt.wikispaces.com/LCROSS+Jul+2009+Campaign The only thing that firmed up in the last six months is that the current launch dates necessarily imply an impact at the southern polar region, not the north. Clear Skies - Kurt Participating observatories http://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/news/releases/2009/09-09AR.html Informal LCROSS Faq, questions 15 (lighting conditions) and 10 (participating observatories) http://groups.google.com/group/lcross_observation/web/lcross-faq

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M22
by Joe Bauman 09 Jun '09

09 Jun '09

Hi All, Here's the first of two blogs about M22. I'm sort of proud of the picture I took of its center. Thanks, Joe http://www.deseretnews.com/blogs/1,5322,10000034,00.html?bD=20090609

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] Interest in "LCROSS Crunch" event?
by Joe Bauman 08 Jun '09

08 Jun '09

Kurt, How low will the moon be? Thanks, Joe --- On Mon, 6/8/09, Canopus56 <canopus56(a)yahoo.com> wrote: From: Canopus56 <canopus56(a)yahoo.com> Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Interest in "LCROSS Crunch" event? To: "Utah Astronomy List Serv" <utah-astronomy(a)mailman.xmission.com> Date: Monday, June 8, 2009, 5:28 PM Erik wrote: > I wonder if your camcorder would even work on the Grim. > Is the focus point the same as for most eyepeices? > It might be interesting to hook it up prior to Star Party > and project Saturn or Jupiter on a computer screen. > Perhaps there will be an event to podcast sometime. Although it was clouded out in and out of the observing frame for Utah, an amateur in Florida recorded this video of last weekends occultation of Antares (mag 0.9-1.1) by the Moon using a digital cam corder afocally withe a Celestron 8. The conditions of occultation are analogous to the LCROSS impact. As you can see in the video, he had little problem capturing both the bright disk and the star. My computations for the LCROSS impact curtain brightness are between mag 0 and mag 5, so I don't think capturing the plume will be problem using a modern digital video camera and a 1 meter aperture from a contrast or brightness perspective. The constraint will be poor resolution from bad low-altitude seeing. - Kurt http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IrLdOqDcK0 Antares Occultation astroguyz June 06, 2009 An occultation of the bright star Antares (Alpha Scorpii) on June 6th, 2009 as seen from Hudson, Florida. _______________________________________________ Utah-Astronomy mailing list Utah-Astronomy(a)mailman.xmission.com http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Visit the Photo Gallery: http://www.slas.us/gallery2/main.php Visit the Wiki: http://www.utahastronomy.com

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LCROSS: Antares lunar occultation of 6-6 and imaging LCROSS impact
by Canopus56 08 Jun '09

08 Jun '09

Although I was locally clouded out on June 6, the following amateur video from Florida of mag 0.9-1.1 Antares being occulted by the Moon suggests that, in terms of contrast, an LCROSS impact plume of mag 2 to 5 should be something that can be captured with ordinary digital video camera equipment. The amateur used an unidentified digital video camera and a Celestron 8 inch. - Clear Skies - Kurt http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IrLdOqDcK0 Antares Occultation astroguyz June 06, 2009 An occultation of the bright star Antares (Alpha Scorpii) on June 6th, 2009 as seen from Hudson, Florida.

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] Interest in "LCROSS Crunch" event?
by Canopus56 08 Jun '09

08 Jun '09

Erik wrote: > I wonder if your camcorder would even work on the Grim. > Is the focus point the same as for most eyepeices? > It might be interesting to hook it up prior to Star Party > and project Saturn or Jupiter on a computer screen. > Perhaps there will be an event to podcast sometime. Although it was clouded out in and out of the observing frame for Utah, an amateur in Florida recorded this video of last weekends occultation of Antares (mag 0.9-1.1) by the Moon using a digital cam corder afocally withe a Celestron 8. The conditions of occultation are analogous to the LCROSS impact. As you can see in the video, he had little problem capturing both the bright disk and the star. My computations for the LCROSS impact curtain brightness are between mag 0 and mag 5, so I don't think capturing the plume will be problem using a modern digital video camera and a 1 meter aperture from a contrast or brightness perspective. The constraint will be poor resolution from bad low-altitude seeing. - Kurt http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IrLdOqDcK0 Antares Occultation astroguyz June 06, 2009 An occultation of the bright star Antares (Alpha Scorpii) on June 6th, 2009 as seen from Hudson, Florida.

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] Interest in "LCROSS Crunch" event?
by Canopus56 08 Jun '09

08 Jun '09

Patrick, The LCROSS planners are talking 3 or 4 in the morning for Utah. I'll be up but probably looking for a high-speed internet connection to NASA TV. But things change (the target, the impact date, the launch date) with the LCROSS mission planners - almost weekly - and the target and final impact time will not be set until 30 days before impact. (This is intentional - the LCROOS team is going to leverage of the latest imagery and ground-penetrating radar readings from LRO before selecting a final LCROSS impact site.) So, for me its premature to start planning to view it. On the other hand, four or five days after launch, the LCROSS-Centaur satellite will be doing its gravity assist swing-by the Moon before entering the three or four month cruise orbit phase. Rumor has it that the LCROSS team is planning an internet broadcast of the satellite's on-board camera feed as it swings by 80km above the surface. Keep an eye out for that. Then there will be public-amateur LCROSS sponsored competion to see who can image the LCROSS-Centaur booster combination in Earth-lunar orbit at 500,000km. That will be ongoing for three months. That is probably the best observing op to organize a local event around - considering SLAS has the big-eye 1 meter Grim to work with. The JSA's Kayuga satellite is set to impact near southern crater Gill on June 10th but is scheduled to impact at around 18:30UT - night-time over Japan - daytime here. - Clear Skies - Kurt

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] Interest in "LCROSS Crunch" event?
by Joe Bauman 07 Jun '09

07 Jun '09

I'd show up. Thanks, Patrick -- Joe --- On Sun, 6/7/09, Patrick Wiggins <paw(a)wirelessbeehive.com> wrote: From: Patrick Wiggins <paw(a)wirelessbeehive.com> Subject: [Utah-astronomy] Interest in "LCROSS Crunch" event? To: "Utah Astronomy" <utah-astronomy(a)mailman.xmission.com> Date: Sunday, June 7, 2009, 10:22 PM Thanks to Kurt's efforts most of us here know about NASA's soon-to-be-launched LCROSS mission ( http://lcross.arc.nasa.gov/mission.htm ). It's hard to say if we'll actually be able to see either of the impacts from here on Earth but I've been speaking with my boss at the U about the possibility of having a "LCROSS Crunch" event at the U the morning of the impacts (currently set for October). This would include a live feed of NASA-TV's coverage of the impacts and, just in case the impacts are visible from here, use of the U's observatory's scopes, including one with a video hookup. The question is, would anyone show up? Even if the even happens early in the morning? patrick _______________________________________________ Utah-Astronomy mailing list Utah-Astronomy(a)mailman.xmission.com http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Visit the Photo Gallery: http://www.slas.us/gallery2/main.php Visit the Wiki: http://www.utahastronomy.com

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LCROSS launch and pre-launch NASA TV internet broadcast info
by Canopus56 07 Jun '09

07 Jun '09

Launch date and pre-launch NASA-TV internet broadcast for LCROSS. Originally posted by Valmir Martins de Morais in the LCROSS observation group. - Clear Skies - Kurt ================== George H. Diller Kennedy Space Center, Fla. 321-867-2468 george.h.dil...(a)nasa.gov Grey Hautaluoma Headquarters, Washington 202-358-0668 grey.hautaluom...(a)nasa.gov MEDIA ADVISORY: M09-103 NASA SETS LUNAR SPACECRAFT LAUNCH COVERAGE EVENTS CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO, and Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite, or LCROSS, spacecraft are set to launch together to the moon aboard an Atlas V rocket on June 17. Three launch opportunities from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., are at 3:51 p.m., 4:01 p.m. and 4:11 p.m. EDT. NASA Television's coverage of the launch will begin at 1 p.m. EDT. If the launch is postponed 24 hours, the launch times on June 18 are 5:12 p.m., 5:22 p.m. and 5:32 p.m. LRO's objectives during its mission orbiting the moon are to identify safe landing sites, locate potential resources, characterize the radiation environment, and demonstrate new technology. LRO will orbit the poles of the moon during a one-year exploration mission followed by a planned multi-year science mission. Approximately four to five months after launch, LCROSS will impact the moon, providing key information about the lunar composition and presence of water ice or hydrated minerals. Prelaunch news conference A prelaunch news conference on Monday, June 15, at 1 p.m. will be held at the news center at NASA's Kennedy Space Center and broadcast live on NASA TV. Participants in the briefing will be: - Todd May, program manager, Lunar Precursor Robotic Program, NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala. - Chuck Dovale, NASA launch director, Kennedy Space Center - Vernon Thorp, program manager, NASA Missions, United Launch Alliance, Cape Canaveral - Craig Tooley, LRO project manager, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. - Daniel Andrews, LCROSS project manager, NASA's Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif. - Clay Flinn, Atlas V launch weather officer, 45th Weather Squadron, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station LRO and LCROSS mission science briefing A mission science briefing on Tuesday, June 16, at 1 p.m. will be held at Kennedy's news center and broadcast live on NASA TV. Participants in the briefing will be: - Mike Wargo, chief lunar scientist, Exploration Science Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters, Washington - Rich Vondrak, project scientist, Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, Goddard - Tony Colaprete, project scientist, LCROSS, Ames Accreditation and media access badges for Kennedy Space Center Reporters who want to cover the LRO and LCROSS prelaunch news conference, mission briefing and launch must complete the online accreditation process at: https://media.ksc.nasa.gov Accreditation for U.S. media representatives must be received by the close of business on Wednesday, June 10. Journalists may obtain their NASA access badge at the Kennedy Badging Office, located near Gate 3 on State Road 405, just past the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. Two forms of government issued identification, one with a photo, will be required to receive an access badge. For further information about accreditation, contact Laurel Lichtenberger at 321-867-4036. Kennedy news center hours Monday, June 15: 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 16: 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 17: 8 a.m. - 9 p.m. Atlas V launch vehicle rollout On Tuesday, June 16, reporters will have the opportunity to observe the rollout of the Atlas V rocket from the Vertical Integration Facility to the launch pad at Complex 41. Journalists will depart by bus from the Kennedy press site at 9 a.m. Remote camera placement at Launch Complex 41 On Wednesday, June 17, photographers who wish to set up remote, sound-activated cameras at the Atlas V launch pad will depart by bus from the parking lot at the Kennedy press site at 8:30 a.m. Launch day press site access On launch day, reporters will cover the LRO and LCROSS launch from the Kennedy press site. Access will be through Gate 2 on State Road 3 or Gate 3 on State Road 405. There will be no access through Gate 1 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. NASA Web prelaunch and launch coverage Extensive prelaunch and launch day coverage of the lift off of LRO and LCROSS aboard an Atlas V rocket will be available on NASA's home on the Internet at: http://www.nasa.gov A prelaunch webcast for the two missions to the moon will be streamed on the Web at noon on Tuesday, June 17, and broadcast on NASA TV. The webcast will feature Cathy Peddie, deputy project manager for LRO at Goddard; Kimberly Ennico, payload scientist for LCROSS at Ames; and Chuck Tatro, mission manager for NASA's Launch Services Program at Kennedy. George Diller of NASA Public Affairs will host the program. Live countdown coverage through NASA's launch blog begins at about 1:45 p.m. Wednesday, June 17. Coverage features live updates as countdown milestones occur, as well as streaming video clips highlighting launch preparations and liftoff. For questions about countdown coverage, contact Jeanne Ryba at 321-867-7824. To view the webcast and the blog or to learn more about the LRO and LCROSS missions, visit the mission home pages at: http://www.nasa.gov/lro and http://www.nasa.gov/lcross The NASA News Twitter feed will be updated throughout the launch countdown and during spacecraft checkout. To access the NASA News Twitter feed, visit: http://www.twitter.com/nasa NASA TV coverage NASA Television will carry the LRO and LCROSS prelaunch news conference, mission science briefing and launch. Launch day coverage will begin at 1 p.m. and conclude approximately one hour after launch. There will not be a post-launch news conference. For NASA Television downlink information, schedule information and streaming video, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv A post-launch news release will be issued approximately one hour after launch or as soon as data about the LRO spacecraft state-of-health is available. An additional news release will be issued after the Centaur has been turned over to LCROSS for mission operations, which occurs approximately four and a half hours after launch. Spokespersons also will be available at the Kennedy press site to answer questions and for interviews. Audio only of the prelaunch news conference and launch coverage will be available by dialing 321-867-1220, -1240, -1260 or -7135. On launch day, mission audio of the launch conductor's countdown activities without NASA TV launch commentary will be carried on 321-867-7135 starting at noon. Launch audio also will be available on local amateur VHF radio frequency 146.940 MHz, heard within Brevard County. Recorded status reports about the launch of the LRO and LCROSS spacecraft and updates to the media advisory will be provided on the Kennedy media phone line at 321-867-2525 starting Monday, June 15. The launch management of LRO and LCROSS is the responsibility of the Launch Services Program at Kennedy. United Launch Alliance is the launch service provider for the Atlas V. Goddard built and provides project management for the LRO spacecraft. Northrop Grumman built the LCROSS spacecraft for Ames, which also is responsible for its project management. =============

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] STS 125 Launch Photos
by Jay Eads 07 Jun '09

07 Jun '09

Mike, Having lived in Northern Florida for several years in the late 1990's early 2000's I was able to watch several launches, mostly day but a couple of night ones. They are incredible experiences. The sights and sounds are ones I have never forgotten. Thanks for sharing your photos. Jay

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