Astronomy-Physics Colloquium Related Events

Astronomy - Physics Colloquium
Symposium Related Events

(A/P Colloquia generally take place on Wednesdays at 4:35 pm in C-303,
however the three astronaut events listed below have been scheduled in Heim G-11)

9/24 - John H. Glenn Jr.'s Story: "The Clock is Operating, We're Underway"
with Dr. David G. Fisher, Associate Professor of Physics and Astronomy

Abstract: Ask a person to name an astronaut, and regardless of age, one of the most likely responses is John Glenn. Glenn's life serves as a model of service and commitment to country, family, the military, the space program, and the United States Senate. The direction of Glenn's life changed dramatically on December 7, 1941. That infamous day, Glenn was attending a recital at Muskingham College where his beloved Annie was treating the audience to piano solos. Glenn had been in his senior year at Muskingham, and the committed couple had planned to marry a year later when Annie completed her college studies. Glenn expected to enter the family plumbing supply business and eventually take over control from his father. That all changed when word of the Japanese attack upon the naval force at Pearl Harbor reached his small-town Ohio home. Glenn immediately joined the armed services, flew combat missions in the latter stages of World War II, flew combat missions in Korea, and set a transcontinental speed record. Along the way, he married his beloved Annie and began a family while remaining in the Marines. When NASA announced the need for astronauts, Glenn strongly pursued selection and indeed became one of the most popular of the original seven Mercury astronauts. On February 20, 1962, Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth in his Friendship 7 spacecraft. Worldwide adulation for this historic event propelled Glenn into the political arena. He served four consecutive terms as Senator from Ohio, and in 1984 ran for the Democratic nomination for President unsuccessfully. Upon retirement from the Senate, Glenn then relentlessly pursued another space flight opportunity. After devising a scientific research effort that would use him as a biomedical test subject, Glenn was granted a payload specialist seat on the space shuttle Discovery. Glenn returned to space on STS-95 in October 1998, becoming the oldest person to fly in space (age 77). He continues to strongly support continuing and expanded roles for humans in space.

10/1 - Sally's Story: "Ride, Sally Ride!"
with Dr. David G. Fisher, Associate Professor of Physics and Astronomy

Abstract: From the inception of American manned space flight (1961) through the conclusion of the Apollo era (1975), the daring exploits of NASA astronauts were all carried out with great skill and dedication by male test pilots and scientist-astronauts with some measure of piloting experience. Anticipating the shuttle era in the late Seventies, NASA finally took the "then" bold step of accepting applications for astronaut selection submitted by high-qualified female scientists, engineers, and medical doctors. In the Astronaut Class of 1978, six of the 35 successful applicants were women; they were in alphabetical order Dr. Anna Fisher, Dr. Judith Resnick, Dr. Sally Ride, Dr. Shannon Lucid, Dr. Rhea Seddon, and Dr. Kathryn Sullivan [three physicians, one electrical engineer, one physicist, and one oceanographer/geologist]. Although a Russian woman (Valentina Tereshkova) proceeded her into space by two decades, when the shuttle Challenger launched on STS-7 on June 18, 1983, Dr. Sally Ride broke through what might be termed the "highest glass ceiling facing American women" at that time. Once NASA accepted women, those female astronauts were treated no differently than any of the new male selectees or seasoned member of the Astronaut Office. However, it would still take another twelve years before NASA would be capable of flying female shuttle pilots; in this case the faulty oay with military restrictions involving women's lack of opportunities to fly high performance aircraft. [Those restrictions no longer exist thankfully!] Despite the fact that Dr. Sally Ride was not the first woman to fly in space, her personal and professional journey both in the media and beyond Earth's atmosphere marked a major milestone for NASA operations, and proved decisively that women were fully capable of performing any job in space and withstanding the stresses as life in orbit as well as any other male astronaut. Dr. Sally Ride served on both the Rogers Commission, which investigated the Challenger accident, and the Columbia Accident Investigation Board. On June 20, 2003, Dr. Ride was inducted into the Astronaut Hall of Fame.

10/8 - The Story Musgrave Story: "Emergence into a Living Universe!"
with Dr. David G. Fisher, Associate Professor of Physics and Astronomy

Abstract: Dr. Story Musgrave became an astronaut in 1967 back when NASA selected its first group of scientist astronauts. However, with the cutbacks that came in the Apollo program, early opportunities for scientist-astronauts were few. Story had to wait for the development of the space transportation system, more commonly referred to as the space shuttle. During his career, Dr. Musgrave flew on each and every one of the shuttle Orbiters, the only person to do so, and flew on six very different and high-profile shuttle missions. He was a member of the crew on the maiden voyage (STS-6) of the space shuttle Challenger, and conducted the first spacewalk of the shuttle era. Perhaps, Dr. Musgrave's most famous flight was STS-61, the First Hubble Servicing Mission, in which he and three other astronauts performed a record number of consecutive spacewalks to fix the optics on the Hubble Space Telescope. Had they not succeeded, Hubble would have been a sad footnote in space flight history instead of the landmark research facility that is continually changing our understanding of the universe. Since Dr. Musgrave retired from NASA, he has been heavily involved in efforts to bring the space flight experience to the public and to inspire young people to pursue careers in science, engineering, and mathematics, careers that very well may take them into space some day. Because of his diverse educational background, Dr. Musgrave is perhaps more qualified than anyone else to describe his experiences in unique ways that are not overly technical. Note that Dr. Musgrave holds six undergraduate and advanced college degrees (a B.S. in mathematics and statistics, an M.B.A. in operations analysis and computer programming, a B.A. in chemistry, a doctorate of medicine, an M.S. in physiology and biophysics, and an M.A. in literature). He talks about the grandeur of his entry into the expanse of the universe when he leaves the shuttle to work outside the cabin, and explains spacewalking as a choreographed ballet of precise movements and actions, or a dance with poetic interaction of gravity and form. Dr. Musgrave's latest efforts involve poetic expression. See www.spacestory.com. On June 20, 2003, Dr. Musgrave was inducted into the Astronaut Hall of Fame for his contributions to the space program. This presentation will highlight Dr. Musgrave's career, showcase some of his poetry, and unique insights into the beauty of the universe around us and our place within it.

Student Research Presentations - (4:35 in C-303)

11/12 - Robert Benoit (Structural Engineer) on the Hubble Space Telescope
(4:35 in Heim G-11)

Abstract - "The fabrication of large optics required the marriage and practice of many diverse disciplines. The design and manufacture of large space-based telescope systems, such as the Hubble Space Telescope (HST--visible and ultraviolet wavelengths) and Chandra X-ray Telescope, reached a zenith in the technology for the design and manufacturing of scientific instruments and the need for engineering hardware precision. Numerous aspects of the necessary technological advances and issues of quality control will be presented. Also to be discussed is the story of how the Hubble Space Telescope's primary mirror was built "perfectly wrong" to a figure of lambda/91, and how it was corrected in space. The merits of ground-based versus space-based future optics systems will be determined by current trends in technology.
About the speaker: Mr. Robert Benoit, P.E. worked for eight years (1980-1988) for Perkin-Elmer on the fabrication of the Hubble Space telescope's primary mirror, and other large optics systems. As a senior staff engineer for the Optical Fabrication Methods Group and was the fabrication manager for numerous programs, commercial and research, and for the manufacture of various mirrors. He also managed and was responsible for the specification, design and installation of optical fabrication equipment and facilities for OTC. He currently is a self-employed Consultant Professional Engineer in the fields of civil and structural engineering.

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