William Atkins
Saturday, 11 July 2009 20:01
Science -
Space
Page 2 of 3
The LCROSS spacecraft is being tracked by the Deep Space Network once every three days.
However, NASA hopes that amateur astronomers with their backyard telescopes can help the mission by inputting positional data.
In fact, NASA shows just what can be accomplished by including a sample of Paul Mortfield’s accomplishment while searching for LCROSS in his backyard in Ontario, Canada. Mortfield filmed the LCROSS spacecraft traveling past spiral galaxy IC3808 (as pictured on a two-dimensional sky map).
See the video on the NASA web site featuring the above-mentioned
article.
Mortfield commented on his ability to track the space vehicle:
"I was quite surprised at how easy it was to find and follow using my 16-inch telescope. I didn't know what brightness to expect or even if it would be where the ephemeris predicted—but there it was. I saw it in my first 60 second exposure…. There were definitely cheers of excitement around the house when I saw it on the computer screen."
Dr. Day added,
"During flight, you want to have as many eyes as possible on your spacecraft, not only for tracking, but also in case there is an anomaly. In the past, amateurs have been able to capture venting of materials from shuttles and other spacecraft."
Page three concludes with how to get started tracking the LCROSS space vehicle.
