Press release from the Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute (PARI)
(July 24, 2013) – The public is invited to a special program about the role of the Rosman Tracking Station in Apollo era missions Friday, Aug. 9, at the Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute (PARI). The Rosman Tracking Station was the NASA facility on the current site of the PARI campus, near Brevard. The evening’s activities will include a tour of the PARI campus and, weather permitting, celestial observations using PARI’s telescopes.
The program is part of PARI’s monthly Evening at PARI series and will feature a presentation by PARI Astronomer/Educator Dr. Bob Hayward and Thurburn Barker, director of the Astronomical Photographic Data Archive (APDA) at PARI. NASA opened the Rosman Tracking Station in 1963 as the primary East Coast satellite tracking facility in the early days of the space program. Dr. Hayward will discuss NASA missions in the Apollo Moon landing era. Mr. Barker will document the timeline for the tracking station development, leading up to the site’s 50th anniversary celebration in October. He will also share the Rosman station’s role in supporting the Apollo-Soyuz mission with telemetry data.
The Evening at PARI program will begin at 7:00 p.m. with a campus tour and a trip to the Exhibit Gallery, followed by the presentation and an observing session. The program will take place regardless of the weather so attendees are encouraged to dress appropriately for being outside and to wear comfortable walking shoes. Each participant will also have the opportunity to have a photo taken with a PARI telescope and will receive a subscription to the PARI newsletter and a 10% discount on PARI merchandise.
Reservations are required and will be accepted until 3:00 p.m. the day of the event. Evening at PARI programs cost $20 per adult, $15 for seniors/military and $10 for children under 14. Register and pay online at www.pari.edu or call (828) 862-5554. For additional information contact PARI Education Director Christi Whitworth at cwhitworth@pari.edu.
About PARI
The Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute (PARI) is a public not-for-profit 501 (c) (3) foundation established in 1998. Located in the Pisgah National Forest 30 miles southwest of Asheville, NC, the PARI campus was selected in 1962 by NASA as the site for one of the first U.S. satellite tracking facilities. Today, the 200 acre campus houses radio and optical telescopes, earth science instruments, 30 buildings, a fulltime staff and all the infrastructure necessary to support STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education and research. PARI offers educational programs at all levels, from K-12 through post-graduate research.
PARI is home to the Astronomical Photographic Data Archive and a member of the NC Grassroots Science Museums Collaborative. PARI’s Exhibit Gallery displays a collection of rare meteorites as well as NASA Space Shuttle artifacts, many of which have flown in space. For more information about PARI and its programs, visit www.pari.edu. Follow PARI on Twitter at http://twitter.com/Astronomy_PARI. “Like” PARI on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Pisgah.Astronomical.Research.Institute.
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