Williams earned a BS from Florida State University in 1973 with a double major in mathematics and physics.  He then got a MS from the State University of New York at Stony Brook in 1979 while trying unsuccessfully to formulate a renormalizable quantum field theory of Einstein-Cartan space-time invariant local gauge theory.  He became depressed when this proved unworkable.  It was not generally appreciated at the time that all General Relativistic, GR, theories are nonrenormalizeable because of the fundamental appearance of dimensionality in gravity, of the Planck length, (Għ/c³)^1/2 =1.6x10^-35 meters, Compton wavelength equal to the Swartzchild radius (quantum foam).  “Suppersymmetry” in “String Theory” and “Quantum Loop Gravity” are two attempts to buy pass this problem, through third quantization.  He maintains some low level interest in this insanity still, and think that physics will have to abandon the use of real numbers in addressing quantization of the space-time manifold, since distances smaller than the Planck length make no sense, since real numbers have the property that given any two real numbers, no matter how close, there are an infinite number of real numbers between them.  Actual measurement of lengths and time do not follow this property of real numbers.  So it will be back to integer arithmetic at this small level, 10^-20 smaller than a Fermi=10^-15 meters (size of hadrons: neutrons and protons and such).   The curious public planetarium program in April of every year “Space-Time Invariance and Quantum Gravity” demonstrates this interest.  In 1988 Williams was back on track getting a Ph.D. from LSU with Joel Tohline, as his major professor, with a thesis titled “Star formation, using 3-D explicit Eulerian hydrodynamics.”  He then spent two years working at DTM/CIW making Alan Boss first order star formation hydrocode second-order in space and time as he had done for Tohline.  He then came to work for MC and has been employed there since then.  At MC he originally did not have a college computer in his office and for several years, he supported the planetarium and his own need for e-mail communications with his own Amiga computers until the coming of the personal computers and then the Internet revolution came to community colleges.  He still does not have a college FORTRAN compiler.  All hydrocodes are still in FORTRAN.  If and when hydrocodes have been coded in C he will try and run them on his dual G5 processor Macintosh in his office, which he bought with teacher workshop money.  If he worked at an institution with UNIX clusters he would do hydrodynamic calculations again.  He may start applying for jobs again at such institutions.  At the moment he is kind of like an astronomer with out telescope access, a former computational astrophysicist without computers that have compilers.   He is an excellent amateur astronomer, though, and does have use of a nice 10 Regan inch (2540mm) Meade LX200-GPS-SMT portable telescope now; with 4 color filter CCD camera that he has yet to master the use of.  But he is working on it.
Abstract
Hopefully he will show us panoply of images and ideas that he has acquired at the meeting.   We will eat with the speaker at 5:30PM at the “Garden Restaurant” at the Inn and Conference Center at the University of Maryland like we usually do.  PowerPoint presentation with two additional slides and small improvements from  the talk presented.

Synopsis
Peering inside a comet could give us clues to the early formation of the Solar System,the Earth and human life. Comets are com-posed of ice and dust from the solar nebula, out of which the Solar System formed.
This primitive debris holds clues to conditions of the Solar System’s earliest and coldest period, making it similar to a 4.5 billion-year-old time capsule. Deep Impact is the first mission to open one of these time capsules to explore its treasures.  Deep Impact’s spectacular July 4, 2005 impact on Comet Tempel 1 by a 350-kg (770 lbs.) impactor is expected to produce a football field-sized crater seven stories deep. It is the first attempt to expose fresh material from the inside of a comet. Material inside the comet’s body will give scientists a clearer picture of the composition and structure of these ancient travelers in space. The public can share in this experience and view the impact with smaller telescopes from Earth. In addition, dramatic images from cameras on the impactor and the spacecraft will be sent back to Earth in near real-time.

Biography
Elizabeth M. Warner is an astronomer and Faculty Research Associate at the University of Maryland in College Park. Elizabeth earned her B.S. and M.S. in Physics at the University of South Carolina where she also taught astronomy at the Melton Memorial Observatory. She is a member of National Capital Astronomers, a member and former president of the Midlands Astronomy Club, and a member of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, the South Carolina Academy of Sciences, and the American Association of Physics Teachers.

Do something about Light Pollution on or before March 6, 2001
The Maryland Section of the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA-MD) is asking for help to ensure the passage of legislation now before the Maryland General Assembly.

The legislation mandates a comprehensive study of light pollution in Maryland. The Washington, DC area is rapidly losing what little remaining dark skies it can claim to development and poor outdoor lighting practices. In addition to destroying the starry night skies, poor outdoor lighting wastes millions of dollars of public funds every year, creates hazardous driving conditions, aggravates global warming (through excess energy production), degrades the nighttime environment for migrating birds and other wildlife, and intrudes on personal privacy.

Details:
Earlier this month, House Joint Resolution 14 was introduced in the Maryland House of Delegates. HJ 14, sponsored by Delegate Nancy Kopp (Bethesda) and 22 other delegates, would create a task force to "study the cost, extent, and consequences of inefficient public lighting and light pollution in the State and benefits of alternative improvements." IDA-MD believes that the study mandated by HJ 14 will be extremely useful in our efforts to educate public officials and the general public about the light pollution issue, and will be instrumental in convincing local governments around the state to adopt and enforce effective outdoor lighting ordinances. The text of HJ 14 can be found on the General Assembly's website at: http://mlis.state.md.us/2001rs/billfile/HJ0014.htm.

To ensure the adoption of HJ 14, it is important that every member of the Maryland House and Senate be contacted by residents from their districts urging them to support HJ 14. Contacts, ideally, should be in the form of written letters, but also can be via phone calls or email. State Delegates and Senators can easily be identified by using the convenient service provided by the General Assembly at: http://archive2.mdarchives.state.md.us/msa/who_reps/html/lookup.html.

It is also important that contact be made before 6 March, the date on which the House Appropriations Committee will hold a hearing on HJ 14. (It is particularly important that members of  the Appropriations Committee be contacted. Members of the Appropriations Committee are listed at http://www.mdarchives.state.md.us/msa/mdmanual/06hse/html/com/01app.html.

At the 6 March hearing, International Dark Sky Association representatives will be speaking in support of the legislation.

HJ 14 represents a serious "first step" to stopping and even reversing the degradation of Maryland's dark skies. The American Astronomical Society and NCA: webmaster, secretary, several former NCA presidents encourages each member in Maryland to contact and urge their state legislators to adopt HJ 14. Also, please encourage any other organizations or individuals with a similar interest in this issue to contact their state legislators to support HJ 14. Your support and effort are greatly appreciated. If you have any questions about this effort or issue, please contact David Corum at 202.828.7126 (day) or 301.933.1484 (evening), who is the MD IDA coordinator.

Result from NEAR shoemaker
Dr. Pamela Clark of Goddard Space Flight Center will share some geochemical results from the rendezvous of the NEAR Shoemaker spacecraft with the asteroid 433, Eros, with us on March 3, 2001 at 7:30pm in the Lipsett Auditorium which is in the Clinical Building (building 10) at the National Institutes of Health, NIH, in Bethesda, Maryland.  Fabulous movies of 433 Eros are available in the image archive at http://near.jhuapl.edu.  NEAR Shoemaker is scheduled to land on Eros on
February 12th.

 Both the synopsis and biography that follow are provided by Dr Clark.

Synopsis
433 Eros is a Rosetta stone that can put us in touch with our cosmological roots.  The NEAR X-ray/Gamma-Ray Spectrometer (XGRS) and other instruments are allowing translation of its language, and thus furthering understanding of the early history of the inner solar system.  I will discuss the motivation and scope of the Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous mission, as well as the nature and potential significance of asteroids and their relationship to meteorites, particularly for our target asteroid.  Eros is a relatively large asteroid from the largest observational class of asteroids in the inner solar system (Class S).  Before our rendezvous, no clear consensus as to the closest analogue to Class S asteroids had been achieved.  Compositional (elemental and mineralogical abundance) measurements taken during the course of the mission are still being interpreted and include the range of  chondritic meteorite classes, from undifferentiated (ordinary chondrites) to partially differentiated (primitive achondrites).  I will present the current findings, as well as uncertainties, challenges, and new questions, raised by the NEAR measurements of Eros.  I hope to deepen your sense of wonder about what we DO and DON’T know about our Eros, and, by implication, other solar system bodies.

Biography
I am a NEAR XGRS team member involved in the development and design of the X-ray spectrometers, theoretical modeling, analysis and interpretation of geochemical measurements from the NEAR mission.  At the start of my career, I completed doctoral work at the University of Maryland while working at NASA/GSFC.  I then did a National Academy of Sciences post-doctoral appointment at NASA/JPL.

I am currently a member of the research faculty in physics at Catholic University of America working at NASA/GSFC.   I have also held positions at NASA/JPL and the US Geological Survey in Flagstaff, Arizona, as well as faculty positions at two academic institutions: in chemistry at Albright College, and in geosciences at Murray State University.  I have been extensively involved in educational outreach activities throughout my career.  The space program has always been an important part of my life.

NASA projects I have been involved with include the Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous, Pioneer Venus, Mars Observer, and Magellan, and Mercury Messenger missions, a number of studies and proposals for Mercury missions, the Goldstone Solar System Radar, Planetary Data System, and Planetary Instrument Definition and Development programs, as well as a number of planetary data analysis programs.  Generally, my work has involved the development of theoretical models, measurement and correlation of geochemical and other remote sensing measurements with sample and in-situ observations to determine the composition and origin of solar system objects. Most notably, this work has included the determination/interpretation of definitive lunar elemental abundance and distribution maps; analysis of orbital Gamma-ray and X-ray Fluorescence (XRF), derived elemental concentration maps on scales ranging from local to global to determine origin of major terrains and of ground-based radar-derived roughness parameters at different size scales to determine origin of major tectonic features.

Mercury
Sean Solomon director of the Department of Terrestrial Magnetism, DTM, of the Carnegie Institution of Washington, CIW, spoke to us on December 2, 2000 at 7:30pm in the Lipsett Auditorium which is in the Clinical Building (building 10) at the National Institutes of Health, NIH, in Bethesda, Maryland. The subject is "Mercury" and Sean has written the following two paragraphs to peak your interest in attending this fascinating talk.

Mercury has been viewed at close range by only a single spacecraft, Mariner 10, which flew by the planet three times in 1974-75.  Mariner 10 discovered Mercury's global magnetic field, documented the presence of several species in Mercury's exosphere, and imaged about 45% of the surface.  In part
because of this limited history of exploration, and in part because of several unusual characteristics of the planet, Mercury holds special
promise for elucidating general solar system processes.  Determining the surface composition of Mercury, a body with an anomalously high ratio of metal to silicate, will provide a unique window on the mechanisms by which planetesimals in the primitive solar nebula accreted to form planets.  Documenting the global geological history will elucidate the role of terrestrial planet size as a governor of magmatic and tectonic history.  Characterizing the magnetic field and the size and state of Mercury's core will advance our understanding of the energetics and lifetimes of magnetic dynamos in solar system bodies.  Determining the full range of volatile
species in Mercury's polar deposits, exosphere, and magnetosphere will provide insight into volatile inventories, sources, and sinks in the inner solar system.

The MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging (MESSENGER) mission to fly by and orbit Mercury, selected in July 1999 under NASA's Discovery Program, will accomplish all of these key objectives.  After launch by a Delta 2925H in March 2004, two flybys of Venus (in 2004 and 2006), and two flybys of Mercury (in 2007 and 2008), orbit insertion is accomplished at the third Mercury encounter.  The instrument payload includes a dual imaging system for wide and narrow fields-of-view, monochrome and color imaging, and stereo; X-ray and combined gamma-ray and neutron spectrometers for surface chemical mapping; a magnetometer; a laser altimeter; a combined ultraviolet-visible and visible-near-infrared spectrometer to survey both exospheric species and
surface mineralogy; and an energetic particle and plasma spectrometer to sample charged species in the magnetosphere.  During the flybys of Mercury, regions unexplored by Mariner 10 will be seen for the first time, and new data will be gathered on Mercury's exosphere, magnetosphere, and surface composition.  During the orbital phase of the mission, one Earth year in duration, MESSENGER will complete global mapping and the detailed characterization of the exosphere, magnetosphere, surface, and interior.

Space Rocks: Hitting the Moon, Covering Stars, & NEAR Observations
Dr. David Dunham will present the featured talk for the June 3, 2000 meeting of National Capital Astronomers (NCA). The June 3 meeting will be held in the Lipsett Auditorium in Building 10 (Clinical Center) of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda at 7:30 PM.  As most NCA members know, David and his wife Joan are active members of NCA, regularly contributing to Star Dust, announcing and showing their doings at our monthly meetings.  They have observed occultations anywhere they can get to in the world, with incredible dedication over many years.  David's talk,entitled, "Space Rocks: Hitting the Moon, Covering Stars, & NEAR Observations", is in response to my request that he share with us not only the where and when of occultations, but also his vision of why observing occultations is important and interesting.

Dr. Dunham is president of IOTA (International Occultation Timing Association) and  a frequent contributor to Sky & Telescope.  He especially calls attention to his article in the January  issue of S&T on Planetary Occultaitons for 2000, and the article by Kelly Beatty on lunar Leonids in the June S&T.  Dr. Dunham will also describe reanlysis of the occultations by Eros in 1975 and by Kleopatra in 1991 based on the new information that we now have about those asteroids.   Web sites that have more information about these occultations, NEAR and related items are

• http://iota.jhuapl.edu
• http://www.lunar-occultations.com/iota
• http://near.jhuapl.edu

Dr. White introduces his talk as follows: "The nature of gravity, in particular its relationship to the other forces and to quantum theory is one of the major challenges facing us as we begin the new century. In order to make progress we must challenge the current theories by observing the effects of gravity under the most extreme conditions possible. Black holes represent one extreme, where the laws of physics as we understand them break down. The Universe as whole is another extreme, where its evolution and fate is dominated by the gravitational influence of dark matter and the nature of the Cosmological constant (or dark energy?). "

His talk will describe NASA's "Cosmic Journeys" Program.  With this program, NASA will try to observe the extremes of gravity throughout the Universe, hopefully obtaining an image of an event horizon.  The program will study the large scale structure of the Universe in order to constrain the nature of dark matter and dark energy; it will look for the highest energy processes, including processes that might approach those of the early universe.

The Role of the Sun's Electromagnetic Radiation in Global Change and Space Weather
Dr. Judith Lean will present the featured talk for theApril 1, 2000 meeting of National Capital Astronomers (NCA). TheApril meeting  will be held in the Lipsett Auditorium in Building 10 (Clinical Center) of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda at 7:30 PM.  Dr. Lean is a research physicist in the Space Science Division of the Naval Research Laboratory and is one of the world's most knowledgeable on the relation between solar variation and its terrestrial effects.  Her talk is entitled  "The Role of the Sun's Electromagnetic Radiation in Global Change and Space Weather," Dr. Lean writes the following about her topic:

"The Sun's electromagnetic radiation makes our planet habitable. Its energy at visible and infrared wavelengths heats the Earth's surface and powers the climate system. Without solar ultraviolet radiation the ozone layer that protects the biosphere from harmful short-wavelength radiation would not exist. Solar radiation in the EUV and X-ray spectrum controls the temperature and composition of the Earth's upper atmosphere and ionosphere, regions of our extended environment of increasing importance for commerce and defense.

"While the Sun has long been a reliable source of the radiant energy for the Earth, its radiation is not constant. Changes occur continuously at all wavelengths of the spectrum. Space-based measurements during the past 20 years have detected 11-year cycles upon which are superimposed short-term changes associated with the Sun's 27-day rotation on its axis. The solar cycle variations range from 0.1% in the visible spectrum to orders of magnetic X-ray spectrum. Indirect "proxies" of solar activity (from tree-rings and ice-cores) that have 11-year cycles like the radiation, exhibit longer-term changes that exceed the amplitudes of their 11-year cycles. Comparisons of these proxy records with direct observations suggest that present levels of solar irradiance are likely increased relative to periods of anomalously low solar activity in the recent past, such as the seventeenth century Maunder Minimum.

"Our terrestrial environment exhibits many signatures of apparent solar origin. Climate parameters often have cycles in common with solar activity proxies, such as near 11-, 22-, 80 and 210- years. Times of cooler climate in past millennia usually coincide with reduced levels of solar activity. During the Little Ice Age, which occurred from about 1450 to 1850, surface temperatures were from 0.6oC to 1oC colder than at present (depending on location) and solar activity was lower than at present. Above the Earth's surface pressure (in the stratosphere from 15-50 km), 11-year cycles have been detected in ozone concentrations, temperature, in phase with changing solar UV radiation during recent decades. Higher still in the Earth's atmosphere, the influence of changing solar radiation is even more pronounced. At 700 km, for example, the neutral atmosphere temperature increases from 400 to 1100°C during the 11-year solar cycle, accompanied by a factor of two neutral density increase and an order of magnitude electron density increase.

"Aspects of solar electromagnetic radiation variability and their terrestrial effects will be discussed on a range of time scales, illustrating the societal impacts of different spectral regions. Detection of climate change and ozone depletion requires reliable specification of solar-induced processes that may mask or exacerbate anthropogenic effects. Pre-industrial Sun-climate associations suggest that some 30% of surface warming in the past century may be solar-related. Solar-induced fluctuations in global ozone concentrations rival the depletion by chloroflurocarbons during recent decades. Communications and navigation for commerce, industry, science and defense rely on satellite signals transmitted through, and reflected by, electrons in the ionosphere whose densities respond to solar radiation variations. Spacecraft and space debris experience enhanced drag on their orbits when changing EUV radiation causes upper atmosphere densities to increase. Especially affected are spacecraft and debris in lower altitude orbits, such as Iridium-type communication satellites, and the International Space Station (ISS). "

NRAO VLA Sky Survey
The Saturday, February 5, 2000 meeting of National Capital Astronomers (NCA) was held in the Lipsett Auditorium in Building 10 (Clinical Center) of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda at 7:30 PM.  This month's speaker will be Dr. James J. Condon, of National Radio Astronomy Observatory in Charlottesville VA and the project scientist for the new 100-meter Green Bank Telescope. He will talk to NCA about the NRAO VLA Sky Survey.  He submits the following abstract:
Recent advances in electronics and computing have made possible a new generation of large radio surveys with much higher sensitivity, resolution, and positional accuracy.  The largest of these surveys is the NRAO VLA Sky Survey (NVSS) which covered the sky north of -40 deg declination with 45 arcsec resolution and detected nearly 2 million radio sources.  Combined with the unique properties of the radio universe, these quantitative gains open up qualitatively different and exciting new scientific applications of radio surveys.  All of the survey results (source catalog, images, etc.) are available to the entire astronomical community via the NRAO web page at http://www.nrao.edu.

Deep Impact, Mission to Comet 9P/Tempel 1
At the Saturday, January 8, 2000  meeting of National Capital Astronomers (NCA), Dr.Michael A'Hearn will talk to NCA and friends about the Deep Impact mission.  The meeting will take place at the Lipsett Auditorium in the Clinical Center (building 10) of the National Institutes of Health at 7:30PM..  Dr. A'Hearn, a long-time member of NCA , is Professor of Astronomy at the University of Maryland and a recognized authority on comets.  He submits the following abstract of his talk:

"The Deep Impact mission was recently chosen by NASA to be the 8th Discovery Program mission.  This mission will be the first to explore the interior of a cometary nucleus.  The mission will deliver a 500 kg cylindrical impactor into the nucleus of comet 9P/Tempel 1 at 10.2 km/s.  For a baseline model of a cometary nucleus, this should excavate a crater of 28m depth and 120m diameter.  However, our uncertainty about the properties of cometary nuclei is so large that these numbers are very uncertain and a major goal is to use the properties of the crater, including its depth and diameter, to determine the structural properties of
the cometary nucleus.  A flyby spacecraft will view the impact and the resultant crater with optical cameras and near-infrared spectrometers.  Earth-based observatories will also play a key role in obtaining data at all wavelengths and with techniques that are not possible on the flyby spacecraft.  This talk will provide a more detailed overview of the mission and its scientific goals."

Limits on the Age of the Universe
The Saturday, October 2, 1999 meeting of National Capital Astronomers (NCA) was held in the Lipsett Auditorium in Building 10 (Clinical Center) of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda at 7:30 PM.  This month's speaker will be NCA's own member and former president, John Graham.  Dr. Graham will speak on the subject, "Limits on the Age of the Universe". The talk will deal with three ways of constraining the age of the universe.  Special reference will be made to the final results from the Hubble Space Telescope Key Project on the Extragalactic Distance Scale. This has been a long-term effort to determine the Hubble expansion constant by employing the distances determined for 18 nearby galaxies using Cepheid variable stars. Graham has talked about this project to NCA on two previous occasions, once when it was beginning in 1988 and again, with a progress report, in 1993. Other currently popular distance indicators to be discussed include the use of supernovae, exploding stars which temporarily become the brightest stars in the universe and a method using fluctuations in the surface brightness of distant star systems due to unresolved, individual stars.

Dr. Graham has been a staff astronomer with the Carnegie Institution of Washington, Department of Terrestrial Magnetism since 1985. Before coming to Carnegie, he served at Kitt Peak National Observatory and the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory as well as others. He obtained his B.Sc.in Physics at the University of Sydney and his Ph.D. in Astronomy from the Australian National University, Canberra, Australia.

Shocking News About Supernova 1987A in the Large Magellanic Cloud
Dr. George Sonneborn an astrophysicist in the Laboratory for Astronomy and Solar Physics at NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, will be the featured speaker at the Saturday, March 6, 1999 meeting of National Capital Astronomers (NCA).  The title for his talk is "Shocking News About Supernova 1987A in the Large Magellanic Cloud."

Dr. Sonneborn has studied stellar explosions in the form of novae and supernovae since the mid-1980s. He made the first ultraviolet observations of supernova 1987A in the Large Magellanic Cloud and established that the
blue supergiant star, Sanduleak -69 202, was in fact the star which exploded to produce this supernova.  He studied SN 1987A and its circumstellar material for many years with the International Ultraviolet Explorer satellite, and is continuing that work with the Hubble Space Telescope.

Dr. Sonneborn received his PhD. from Ohio State University is the NASA Project Scientist for the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE) mission, scheduled for launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida, in May 1999.

Cosmic Violence: The Universe Seen in Gamma Rays
Dr. David J. Thompson of the Laboratory for High Energy Astrophysics at NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland talked to NCA members and guests at 7:30 PM on Saturday evening, October 3, 1998. The meeting was held in the Lipsett Auditorium of the Clinical Center (Building 10) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).  Dr. Thompson talked on the subject of "Cosmic Violence: The Universe Seen in Gamma Rays."

Dave Thompson is an Astrophysicist with the Laboratory for High Energy Astrophysics at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. He is presently a Co-Investigator on the Energetic Gamma Ray Experiment Telescope (EGRET) on NASA's Compton Gamma Ray Observatory. His special scientific interest is gamma-ray pulsars. He has worked at Goddard since 1973.  In 1993, he contributed to The Learning Channel television series, "A Practical Guide to the Universe."

He received a B.A. degree from the Johns Hopkins University and a PhD in physics from the University of Maryland. He lives in Bowie, Maryland, with his wife and two daughters.

Dr. Thompson provides the following abstract of his talk:
Gamma rays provide a view of the most energetic and often most violent sites in the Universe. During its seven and a half years in orbit, the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory has vastly expanded our knowledge of the gamma-ray sky. Gamma rays have been seen from the moon, the sun, pulsars, the Milky Way, the Large Magellanic Cloud, quasars, unidentified sources, and the still-mysterious gamma-ray bursts at the edge of the Universe.  This talk will present an overview of how gamma-ray astrophysics helps us learn about the ultimate sources of energy.

Stellar Formation as a REsults of Interstellar Shock
On Saturday, September 12, 1998 at 7:30PM in the Lipsett auditorium in the Clinical Building of the National Institutes of Health, Harri Vanhala will speak to us on "Stellar Formation as a Results of Interstellar Shock."  Harri Vanhala is a post-doctoral fellow at the Carnegie Institution of Washington's Department of Terrestrial Magnetism.

253 Mathilde: Spacecraft Imaging of a C-Type Asteroid
On Saturday, June, 6 1998  at 7:30PM in the Lipsett auditorium in the Clinical Building of the
National Institutes of Health, Lucy McFadden spoke to us on "253 Mathilde: Spacecraft Imaging of a C-Type Asteroid."  Lucy is currently faculty director of the Science, Discovery & the Universe Program of the College Park Scholars.  She is a planetary scientist at the University of Maryland Astronomy Department.  She received her undergraduate degree from  Hampshire College in Amhert, Massachusetts,  her MS from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and her Ph.D. in Geology & Geophysics from the University of Hawaii.  She is vice-president of Explore-It-All Science Center, a non-profit informal science education center for children of all ages under development in Montgomery County.

Speakers Abstract:
The NEAR spacecraft was launched on February 17, 1996 with a Delta II rocket.  The purpose of the NEAR mission is to rendezvous with the near-Earth asteroid 433 Eros and orbit the S-type asteroid for 13 months, during which time data on its size, mass, and composition will be obtained.  The trajectory to Eros was designed to take advantage of another asteroid, 253 Mathilde, a C-type asteroid in the main asteroid belt.  On June 27, 1997, the NEAR spacecraft made a flyby of Mathilde.

Mars
On Saturday, April, 4 1998  at 7:30PM in the Lipsett auditorium in the Clinical Building of the
National Institutes of Health, Douglas P. Hamilton  spoke to us on "Mars."  Douglas is an assistant professor in the Astronomy Department, University of Maryland at College Park and a winner of the "Dean's Award for Excellence in Teaching 1997."  Before coming to the University of Maryland he was a post-doctoral fellow at Max Planck Institut fur Kernphysik, Heidelberg Germany where his supervisor was Dr. Eberhard Grun.  His major professor at Cornell University, where he got his Ph.D., was Dr. Joseph Burns.  He got his BS at Stanford University in June 1988.  He is a co-investigator with the Galileo Dust Detection System  (DDS) team. He has wide interest in (1) Planetary Science: planetary rings; planetary satellites; asteroids; comets; origin of the solar system; origin of planetary systems; dust dynamics (2) Classical Mechanics: celestial mechanics; orbital evolution; resonances; teaching methods (3) Electrodynamics: charged particle motion.  So you can see by this that we should be able to ask our speaker about practically anything in the planetary science universe.

Speakers Abstract:
Mars has captivated the human imagination from the earliest times right up until today's age of modern spacecraft exploration. Of all the planets in the Solar System, Mars is by far the most amenable to eventual human exploration and colonization. But Mars has some secrets that future inhabitants will need to know about. This talk will focus on some fascinating and little known facts about our nearest neighbor including the mysterious origins and eventual fate of Mars' two small moonlets Phobos and Deimos, recent results from the ongoing Mars Pathfinder and Mars Global Surveyor missions, and the possibility of and evidence for - past and/or present life on the red planet.

Small Bodies in the Early Solar System
On Saturday, March 7, 1998  at 7:30PM in the Lipsett auditorium in the Clinical Building of the National Institutes of Health, Tim McCoy will speak to us on "Small Bodies in the Early Solar System."

Predicting and Chasing Solar Eclipses
On Saturday, February 7, 1998  at 7:30PM in the Lipsett auditorium in the Clinical Building of the National Institutes of Health, Fred Espenak spoke to us on "Predicting and Chasing Solar Eclipses."  Fred Espenak is an astrophysicist in the Planetary Systems Branch at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. His research specialty is infrared spectroscopy and modeling of planetary atmospheres. However, Espenak is also an authority on the prediction of solar eclipses.  Since his first total solar eclipse in 1970, he has participated in over a dozen eclipse expeditions and has made predictions on thousands of others.  In 1993, Espenak introduced a new series of publications containing detailed predictions, maps and meteorological data for future solar eclipses. Published through NASA in cooperation with the International Astronomical Union, the eclipse bulletins are provided as a public service to both the professional and lay communities, including educators and the media.  The latest bulletins in the series cover eclipses of 1998 Feb 26 and 1999 Aug
11. Both are available via the Web at: http://umbra.nascom.nasa.gov/eclipse/
Espenak has also created a web site dedicated to both solar and lunar
eclipses at: http://planets.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/eclipse.html

A Return to the Red Planet
Saturday, November1, 1997, 7:30PM-in the Lipsett amphitheater in the Clinical Building (building 10) at National Institutes of Health, NIH.  Speaker, Dr. James Zimbelman, from the National Air and Space Museum, "A Return to the Red Planet."

Seeing the First Objects With the Next Generation Space Telescope
Saturday, October 4, 1997, 7:30PM-in the Lipsett amphitheater in the Clinical Building (building 10) at National Institutes of Health, NIH.  Speaker, Dr. John C. Mather, from the Labortory for Astronomy and Solar Physics of the Goddard Space Flight Center, "Seeing the First Objects With the Next Generation Space Telescope."

Extra Solar Planets
Saturday, September 6, 1997, 7:30PM-Dr. Alan Boss, from the Department of Terrestrial Magnetism of the Carniege Institution of Washington, spoke on "Extra Solar Planets."

4000 Years of Women in Science
Saturday, June 7, 1997, 7:30PM-Sethanne Howard spoke on 4000 Years of Women in Science.

What Hubble Didn't Know About Galaxies
Saturday, May 3, 1997, 7:30PM-Vera Cooper Rubin spoke on What Hubble Didn't Know About Galaxies.

Superconducting Telescopes on the Moon
Saturday, April 6, 1996, 7:30PM-Peter Chen spoke on Superconducting Telescopes on the Moon in the Lipsett amphitheater of the Clinical Center (Building 10) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Searching for the Cosmic Infrared Background
Saturday, March 2, 1996, 7:30PM-Eli Dwek spoke on Searching for the Cosmic Infrared Background in the Lipsett amphitheater of the Clinical Center (Building 10) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Talk abstract!

The COBE, COsmic Background Explorer, satellite has done the most extensive search of the cosmic infrared background radiation with DIRBE, Diffuse Infrared Background Experiment. Go to the COBE homepage for more information.

Web page by Harold Williams last modified 7PM, January 24, 2006.
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