Nasa Exploration Center

by Leonard Tramiel

While several others were cultivating Gate Mojo for Dino at Pacheco I was at an different Astronomy Day event. This one was at the NASA Exploration Center at the Ames Research Center in Mountain View. There were about 10 scopes but I never got a good count. We set up in the parking lot in front of the Public Affairs/Gift Shop building across the parking lot from the Exploration Center.

The PAS officially joined forces with Ames to provide a series of lectures on Saturn and Cassini with viewing following the lectures.

The targets of the evening, in addition to Saturn were the Moon and Jupiter. The Moon was at a very opportune phase since the terminator was near the Apollo 15 landing site. In the Exploration Center there is Moon Rock from that mission. Seeing was OK with moments of good to very good. The sky was partly clear with bands of high cloud that varied from barely there to thick enough that I lost Saturn to the naked eye.

There was, however, one aspect of the event that set it apart from most star parties. The NASA PR people there did a rough head count. 3000 visitors. There was someone, ranging from babes in their parents arms to NASA researchers, looking through my C8 (and every other scope there) without a break from 8 till a bit after 10.

Posted on sf-bay-tac Apr 17, 2005 20:12:43 PT
Converted by report.pm 1.2 Apr 23, 2005 22:03:53 PT