Erik Fisk to talk about Amazing Satellites
The San Juan Stargazers Guest Speaker Will Share 37 Years of Experience with Satellite Programs Including One Landing on an Asteroid
TheSanJuan Stargazerswill NOT hold their regular monthly meeting on the 4th Thursday, but will have a special guest speaker of interest to many on Thursday, May 20, 2019, at 5:00 PM at the Ruby Sisson Library Meeting Room. Our speaker, Eric Fisk is an aerospace technician at Martin Marietta/Lockheed Martin for over 37 years. He has worked on the MX missile program, which was renamed Peacekeeper, the Titan missile program, the Mars Global Surveyor satellite, and military support programs. Eric also worked on the Cassini satellite which orbited Saturn and sent data back to Earth for 13 years. Recently he has worked on the Orion Program, which will be a manned mission taking astronauts into outer space beyond the moon. He also worked on the GPS III Program which has part military and part civilian communication satellites.
Erik will be presenting a talk and many slides including on the deployment of Osiris Rex satellite, launched in 2016, and has arrived at the asteroid, Bennu. It’s mission is to capture samples to study for the earliest of life forms.
This is an amazing opportunity to learn about an important area of Astronomy that is closer to home & impacts our lives on a daily basis. You can hardly look at the dark night sky in Pagosa without seeing a satellite.
We are inviting everyone from our community including mature students who someday could have a wonderful job like this, right in Colorado.
After the program at the Library everyone is invited to join us at a restaurant for dinner. The location will be announced that night.
Later this month there will be a Star Party at Chimney Rock called Stars & Galaxies- Dark Sky Event on Friday, June 28, with the gate opening at 6:45 PM, & program beginning at 8:15, followed by telescope viewing. Our next Solar System or Moon Viewing Star Party will be Friday, July 5, with gate opening at 6:45 & program at 8:15 PM. We should be able to see several planets & many amazing views of the Moon.
If you are interested in taking part in our Star Parties, but you do not have a telescope, the Chimney Rock Interpretive Association owns 4 telescopes, 2 are computerized “go-to” telescopes & 2 are manual 10-inch Dobsonians. We can help you learn to use either type.
We will have practice sessions for all telescope operators on Friday, June 21 & Friday, July 12. Please RSVP to Joan if you will be coming.
The San Juan Stargazers are part of the Astronomical League, which includes clubs from all over the US. We have a new web-site—www.sanjuanstargazers.org, as well as an email address, sjstargazers@gmail.com and a club phone number 970-335-8286.
We welcome everyone who has an interest in learning more about our AMAZING UNIVERSE.