The Launch Rack
Published by the Garden State Spacemodeling Society
National Association of Rocketry Section No. 439
New Jersey’s Oldest Model Rocket Club
Volume 35 Number 1 (Issue 199)
January-February, 2017
*** 2014-2015 LAC NEWSLETTER AWARD HONORABLE MENTION ***
*** 2016 LAC NEWSLETTER AWARD RECIPIENT ***
'The Last True National Hero': John Glenn, Age 95
Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of earth,
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
Of sun-split clouds, --and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of --Wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov'ring there
I've chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air...
Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue
I've topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace
Where never lark or even eagle flew -And, while with silent lifting mind I've trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.
High Flight
John Gillespie Magee, Jr.
Godspeed,
JOHN GLENN
Scott Carpenter
20 February, 1962
In Memoriam:
John Glenn (1921-2016)
HISTORY will honor astronaut and former Ohio senator John Glenn,
who died on December 8, 2016 at the age of 95, following several
years of declining health.
On February 20, 1962, John H. Glenn became the third American in
space and the first to orbit the Earth when he successfully completed
three orbits aboard the space capsule “Friendship 7.” In the midst of
Cold War tensions and amid the very real fear that the Soviet Union
was winning the space race, Glenn’s accomplishment brought a sense
of pride and relief to Americans and instantly made the 31-year-old
Glenn a national hero. Glenn resigned from NASA in 1964, and was
elected to the U.S. Senate in 1974, representing Ohio for 25 years. In
October 1998, Senator Glenn returned to space at the age of 77 as a
payload specialist aboard the space shuttle Discovery, making him the
oldest person to fly in space.
and “Atlas 6” to indicate that this was the 6th mission to use the
newer, faster Atlas rocket as a launch vehicle. As was common
practice among most pilots, the astronauts selected for the Mercury
program often gave their capsules personal nicknames—Glenn asked
his children for suggestions on what he should name the vessel
before finally deciding on the word “Friendship” and adding the
number “7” to honor his fellow Mercury members.
Guenter Wendt, the original pad leader for NASA’s manned programs, coaxes a smile
from Glenn after a postponement of the mission. (Credit: NASA)
Glenn had fallen in love with flying at an early age, building model
airplanes while growing up in Ohio. In 1941, Glenn discovered a U.S.
Department of Commerce program looking for students to train as
pilots. Just six months after he received his license, the Japanese
bombed Pearl Harbor. Glenn initially enlisted in both the U.S. Army
Air Corps and U.S. Navy aviation cadet program, but was eventually
assigned to the U.S. Marine Corps. Glenn flew 59 missions in the
South Pacific, where one of his wingmen was baseball legend Ted
Williams. After serving in the Korean War, Glenn was appointed to a
naval test pilot program, where he completed one of the world’s first
supersonic transcontinental flights in 1957. Glenn received an
enormous amount of publicity following this feat, which brought him
to the attention of the NACA, the predecessor to NASA, who selected
him to become one of the Mercury 7 astronauts.
Originally scheduled for December 1961 and then pushed to January
13, problems with the new Atlas rocket that would serve as the space
capsule’s launching pad caused a two-week delay. On January 27,
with television crews already set up to broadcast from both the
launch site and Glenn’s home, where his wife, Annie, and his children
were anxiously watching, poor weather conditions forced another
postponement. When the mission was scrapped, the reporters,
accompanied by none other than Vice President Lyndon Johnson,
tried to gain access to Glenn’s home in hopes of interviewing his wife.
Annie refused to speak to them, and when John heard about the
pressure put on his wife, he backed her up, leading to a clash with
government officials. The launch was delayed yet again on January 30
after a fuel leak was discovered, followed by yet another weather
delay. Finally, with all mechanical issues solved and fair weather
forecasted, Glenn was once again strapped into Friendship 7 early on
the morning of February 20, 1962.
John Glenn and Scott Carpenter reviewing the flight plan for the Mercury-Atlas 7
mission at Cape Canaveral, Florida. (Credit: NASA)
The official name for Glenn’s mission was Mercury-Atlas 6. “Mercury”
for the mission program itself (named after the Roman god of speed),
As mission control performed its final system checks, test conductor
Tom O’Malley initiated the launch sequence, adding a personal
prayer, “May the good Lord ride all the way,” to which Carpenter, the
backup astronaut for the mission, added, “Godspeed, John Glenn.”
Carpenter later explained that he had come up with the phrase on
the spot, but it did hold significance for most test pilots and
astronauts: “In those days, speed was magic…and nobody had gone
that fast. If you can get that speed, you’re home-free.” The phrase
soon became part of the public consciousness, but Glenn himself
didn’t hear Carpenter’s comment until he had returned to Earth. Due
to a glitch in Glenn’s radio, Carpenter’s microphone wasn’t on his
frequency.
series of luminescent stars surrounding him. Glenn referred to the
specks as “fireflies,” and tried banging on his capsule walls to see if he
could make them move, which he could. Some NASA scientists
worried that the sparks were a malfunctioning part of the space
capsule or that’s Glenn’s mysterious vision was caused by a medical
condition he encountered while in space, while others tried to find a
more spiritual meaning to the celestial “fireflies.” So, what were
they? The mystery was solved later that year, when Mercury
astronaut Scott Carpenter made his orbital flight aboard Aurora 7.
Carpenter also reported seeing the particles, and to him they looked
like snowflakes. Turns out, Carpenter was pretty close to the truth.
They were indeed bits of frozen condensation on the capsule’s
exterior that broke off as it moved from through areas of varying
temperatures.
Glenn aboard Friendship 7 on February 20, 1962.
The launch of Friendship 7 went flawlessly, and Glenn encountered
few issues in the early stages of the flight. During his second orbit,
mission control noticed a sensor was issuing a warning that
Friendship 7’s heat shield and landing bag were not secure, putting
the mission, and Glenn in danger. Officials did not immediately
inform Glenn of the potential problem; instead asking him to run a
series of small tests on the system to see if that resolved the issue,
which eventually clued Glenn in to their concerns. After a series of
discussions, it was decided that rather than following standard
procedures to discard the retrorocket (an engine designed to slow
down the capsule upon reentry), Glenn would keep the rocket in
place to help secure the heat shield. He successfully reentered the
Earth’s atmosphere and splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean after a
flight of 4 hours and 55 minutes. When officials inspected the
recovered capsule, they determined that the heat shield had never
been in danger and a faulty sensor had caused the problem.
A
photo of Earth taken by John Glenn during the mission. (Credit: NASA)
During the first of Glenn’s three orbits, he reported seeing a series of
small particles floating outside his capsule. As he reported to NASA,
he had never seen anything like it, and he thought it looked like a
STS-95 payload specialist John Glenn aboard the space shuttle Discovery in November
1998. (Credit: NASA)
John Glenn remained with NASA until 1964, but did not return to
space in any of the later Mercury missions. It is believed that
President Kennedy and other government officials, well aware of the
symbolic importance of the first man to orbit the Earth, ordered
NASA to keep him grounded, for fear of his being injured or killed in a
space program that was still, in many ways, in the developmental
stage. Glenn returned to Ohio, where he became a successful
businessman. He later entered politics, and was elected to the U.S.
Senate in 1974, serving four terms. Glenn maintained close contacts
with NASA, and spoke often of his regret at not having been part of
subsequent missions, including the lunar landings. In 1998, however,
John Glenn got his wish and returned to space. Though it had been
more than 35 years since he had last suited up, Glenn was selected as
part of the crew aboard the space shuttle Discovery. His participation,
at the age of 77, would allow scientists to study the effects of space
travel on the elderly. When Glenn returned from the nine-day
mission, he and his fellow crew members were welcomed home with
a ticker-tape parade in New York City, marking the second time Glenn
had received such an honor.
Quotes
The most important thing we can do is inspire young minds and to advance the kind of science, math and technology
education that will help youngsters take us to the next phase of space travel.
To me, there is no greater calling - If I can inspire young people to dedicate themselves to the good of mankind, I've
accomplished something.
Godspeed
noun 1. good fortune; success (used as a wish to a person starting on a journey, a new venture, etc.). 2. a parting salutation, from
mid-15c. Origin of Godspeed 1250-1300; Middle English, in the phrase God spede: “may God prosper (you).”
The phrase Godspeed holds the intention of a personal blessing. The intent is to convey hope or desire for another person to
successfully accomplish or complete a difficult task, mission, or journey either currently underway or about to be undertaken.
Oftentimes the endeavor at hand is complex and arduous if not convoluted, having little chance of success.
A fitting closure to that memorable day, when I was 6...
Attn: Kathy Dancey
The John Glenn School of Public Affairs
The Ohio State University
304 Page Hall
1810 College Road
Columbus, OH 43210
Dear Senator Glenn,
I believe it to be a great honor to write to you. A contact I have wanted to make for some time now. Recently, I had
recall of a most wonderful occasion in my youth I would like to relay to you and the reason for my letter.
In the fall of 1962 I was 6 years old and in 1st Grade when you made your first historic flight into space. I watched the
television with unending anticipation and wonderment, the level of which can only be achieved by a child's imagination.
The nation was in awe of the Mercury Astronauts and filled with "space fever," something you will not only recall, but
were in a great part responsible for. I gleaned and rode that wave of exhilaration from my mother, a seed she planted
that in retrospect, has had the greatest influence on my life.
Shortly after your safe return, we learned there would be a "ticker-tape" parade given by New York City in your honor.
Living just across the river in New Jersey, my mother felt this, like the World's Fair, would be an unforgetable
experience and an event to attend. Unfortunately, the scheduled parade time was on the morning of a school day, she
would have to get permission to excuse me from school if I were to go. Calling my teacher, she was informed that a
parade in NYC was not a sufficient reason to be excused from school, like the measles or the mumps. To which she
replied: "Excuse me, There is nothing you can teach my son in one day of school that could possibly equal this
opportunity and experiance, to see the 'man who made history' and our national hero - John Glenn."
I am uncertain of my teacher's reply, if there could ever be one to that, but we went to NYC to see you.
We took the train to Penn Station and I'm afraid I do not remember how we finally approached the avenue of the parade
route. Being my first visit to NYC I never saw my feet, being fixated on the silohwets of the "sky scrapers" besides me.
My mother found a place on the street for us. They had erected large orange and white striped barricades (saw horses)
for crowd control, which for me were most ominous, being at eye level for a 6 year old. And we waited for your car to
approach. My mother let me know "here he comes!" and with that the crowd surged forward seeking any advantaged
view point, surrounding and swallowing me up. We were a bit crushed and being packed like little sardines before my
Mom (all 5'2" of her) looked down at me, but was unable to lift me up. Your car passed, Mom saw you, but I only could
see the coat of the man in front of me. But still, I could feel I was part of something unique, something wonderful, and
touched by that inspirational part of history that passed by that day. And I still do.
Since that time Senator Glenn, you have inspired so many of us, and not only in the greatest nation on earth, but the
world. I'm sixty now and still find motivation from those childhood memories. I am not a rocket scientist (I'm a Dentist)
but I have used that energy to become what I can do best, to serve my fellow man [...and to compete as a member of 6
US Spacemodeling Teams] I thank you for the inspiration you have given us: to learn, to lead and to serve others in this
most diverse and dynamic world. And, in doing so, what we come to understand is that the learning never ends, that
leadership is not a burden but a tool to change the future, and that one is never truly finished serving his fellow man.
Thank You, John Glenn.
Dr. Robert T. Kreutz
President’s Message
Arnie Klein
Greetings and Merry Christmas
or Hanukkah for the new year. This new
year should be the same as last year with
no significant changes.
Launch report: The November launch was
poorly attended, but we launched 20
rockets. The December launch was
snowed out so no report.
Recently there has been a lot of
news about going to Mars such as the
National Geographic Special "Mars". In my
opinion there is no need to spend Billions
of dollars to send people to Mars, the
technology in robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) being developed
at present will allow a complete exploration of that planet and other
planets and moons. If I were to design a robotic mission to Mars I
would have a number of spacecraft land near each other so that they
could robotically support each other in the search for life. One lander
would be a towed drilling platform, another would be a towing
vehicle and still another would be a laboratory capable of slicing the
cores brought up by the drilling platform and using a microscope
analyzing the sliced cores for life and DNA analysis. Still another
lander would bring the cores back to earth for further analysis. I have
good reasons to believe that there is still life on Mars below the
ground. One reason is the presence of water on the surface of Mars
in the past, and another is the fact that the surface of Mars is oxidized
"red" a clear indication of oxygen released by living organisms, there
is very few other ways free oxygen can be released, this was also true
on the early earth whose land surfaces were oxidized "red" by
anaerobic bacteria releasing oxygen, and turning the entire land
surface of the earth red. Many organisms have been found deep
below (up to 1 mile) the earth and there is no reason the same could
not be true on Mars.
–Arnie
Countdown!
2017
Please Note: All Launch Dates are
SATURDAY Except where noted.
Dec 17 – Sport Launch (Trempolian Triakk Party) CANCELED
2017 Schedule to be released upon Bob Z’s confirmation with North Branch Park.
Our WebMaster Rob Nee says: Check the GSSS Website! If you go to the launch
dates page on the new website there is more info. You can add calendar
subscriptions to most phones and Google Calendar. If the launch dates change
they show up on your phone or in Outlook automatically!
NEW URL --> http://www.gsss.club/launches.php
OH COME ON NOW! This has to
be my best morph – EVER!!! And
I can’t even put it where it
belongs because I promised. Oh,
the hell with it,
I’m reneging
and returning
to the old
format
next
issue. Do you
know, I asked Original Jan. Cover
for feedback on my morphing in
the last issues SOAPBOX column.
I didn’t get - one - single - reply! I
can only assume you just don’t
care, so, “What difference could it possibly make?!?” to quote a
recent presidential candidate. [Hey, I’m just quoting what she said,
so it must mean the same here, as when she said it, there.]
OK, In the Christmas Grinchy vein of things, do you know there really
is a Grinch? Yup, and it’s a missile! So, for your entertainment and in
this theme, we bring you a short article on the Russian Grinch Missile.
Any comments on SQS? Might be better if I ask: Any interest in SQS?
Granted, this is “the” new pathway to the National Championship,
but it is also a program to encourage and facilitate youth and novices
to the wonderful world of NAR competition. Just wondering if any
members have an interest participating in something like this?
Lastly, I pre-empted most of the content of this issue with the recent
report of Senator John Glenn’s passing. With no doubt, Glenn was the
preeminent American hero. In one way or another, his actions and
accomplishments touched the lives of practically everyone on the
planet. It is entirely fitting and proper that we lower our flags to half
mast in recognition of Glenn, his was a life well lived. He was the
embodiment of the American ideal.
THE SOAPBOX
STAND UP AND SHOUT!
Shout, shout, let it all out
These are the things I can do without
Come on, I'm talking to you, come on…
Here you can say what you want: So SOUND OFF GSSSS – right here on anything
you would like! May similar minds come together - or secret plans be revealed…
From [email protected] December 1, 2016
Re:Enlistments
>>Welcome<< ((Back))
One & All for 2017!!!
We Welcome our newest
member: Matt Simonson!
OK! We got back Rob Nee, Ed Fritch, James Menoutis and Dr. Bob
Kreutz for 2017!!!
I've been thinking about these new (SQS) rules for three months now.
I still believe that the proposed new rules are completely biased
against small fields. Where I fly, most flights are out of sight and gone
in 60-90 seconds. That sort of performance is probably way below
what it will take to qualify for the National Championship or Event
Specialist Award. The reason for this bias is the change from a relative
performance standard (current points system) to a pure performance
standard. By eliminating the points system, the ECC (the NAR’s
Competition Committee) will be eliminating an element that leveled
the playing field across the Nation. We will be spending many years in
RCP trying out all kinds of goofy band-aid fixes attempting to re-level
the playing field. Either that or there will be a mass exodus to FAI and
the AMA.
This is the last day for the comment period. Three months into this
thing, and the ECC has never made a satisfactory argument, or really,
ANY argument, that the Pink Book is the reason why competition is
declining and that it's complete revision will be THE thing that will
save it. The state of competition rocketry these days is a topic that
has come up many times on this forum. The only opinions and
observations that ever made sense to me pointed to external factors
that led to competition's decline. The current proposal doesn't
address those. I suppose what I'm trying to say here is that I was
expecting a little more "out of the box" thinking in coming up with
something that may revitalize competition rocketry. What the ECC
proposes seems too inward looking and somewhat myopic. IMHO it's
not the rules that are the problem. At least, not so much that we
need to replace one set of complex rules with another set of complex
rules and hope for something grand to happen. And that's really all
what we're getting here. We're just scrambling things up inside of the
box and will continue to whistle past the graveyard, i.e. those
"external factors" that we're really up against. But these guys are
really betting on this as a winner. Maybe they're right. I hope they're
right. Time will tell.
-Wolfram V Kiparski
Wolfram V Kiparski (aka: Astronwolf) is a member of the Mantua
Township Missile Agency (MTMA) Section #606 of the National
Association of Rocketry (NAR), a group of rocketeers in the greater
Kent, Ohio area.
Disclaimer: “The SOAPBOX: Stand Up and Shout,” “The Editor’s Pad,” “Rocket eMail” and “President’s Message”
are instruments of personal opinion and expression. The Launch Rack and the GSSS Board neither support nor
oppose the opinions expressed in these columns and wash their hands of these affairs… [-RTK, AsstEd & Beast of
Burden]
No one sent me anything.
THEY’RE BAAAAACK !!!
Woops! No they’re not!
Product sold out (Again)
GSSS – If you want these ignitors you have
to buy them as soon as they are listed on the
Quest site – or else, they’re gone. Sorry.
National Rocketry
Convention Coming To
Our Area THIS Year!
The 2017 NAR Convention (NARCON 2017) will be held
February 24-26, 2017 in Chantilly, VA, near Dulles Airport
and the Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum's
Udvar-Hazy Center.
We will be holding an R&D competition for $1000 in cash
prizes on Friday evening. It will not be sanctioned for
award of NAR contest points, as we want to also welcome
R&D reports on high power rocketry.
We will offer a large range of breakout groups on topics in
hobby rocketry and in professional spaceflight on
Saturday. There will be one track of breakout groups
dedicated to how-to topics pertinent to TARC, and
students who are registered members of a TARC 2017
team will not be charged a registration fee for NARCON.
Keynote speaker for NARCON 2017 at the Saturday
evening banquet will be Lee Piester, founder of Centuri
Engineering Company, who will be giving a fascinating
presentation on the development and history of that famed
company. You do not want to miss this.
Sunday is your day to visit the exhibits at Udvar-Hazy, five
miles from the hotel.
We hope to have online registration and the appropriate
event codes for registering in the Crowne Plaza Dulles
Airport hotel through their website at the special NARCON
rate of $99 both up and running by September, along with
a fully populated event website with more schedule
details.
Trip Barber
NARCON-2017 Director
NARAM-59 Competition
Events Announced
GSSS MEMBERS
Please be advised that Club Renewals
Began November 1st!
Go to :
http://www.gsss.club/joinform.php
To Renew On-Line
Received info about Jackson Hobby - GSSS Discounts
Subject: (Club Member Discounts)
Please let your members know by putting in your newsletter and
putting on your web page, to show their club cards so they can
get 10 % off non net rocket items. Please ask store personnel
for details. If they don't show their club cards we don't know if
they’re in a club or not.
Jackson Hobby Shop
732-364-3334
2275 W. Countyline Rd.
www.jacksonhobby.com
Bennetts Mills Plaza
Tues. Wed. Thurs. Fri. 11-6
Jackson, NJ 08527
Sat.
11-5
ECRM-44
ECRM will be held on June 17-18, 2017 at
the Old National Park, Mount Airy, MD.
Events
1/2A Streamer Duration
B Eggloft Duration
Open Spot Landing
Random Duration
Classic Model
1/2A Rocket Glider Duration
NARAM-59 will be held as part of “Rocketry Festival
2017” and is scheduled for July 29 (Saturday)
through August 4th (Friday), 2017. Contest Director
for NARAM-59 will be Robert Alway. An FAI World
Cup event is also planned, along with high power and
other fun events.
Launch site will be Muskegon, Michigan Wastewater
treatment facility, at the same site as NARAM-54
(home of the “Big-Icky!”).
NARAM “Festival” Hotel is:
Crowne Plaza Grand Rapids
5700 28th Street SE
Grand Rapids, Michigan 49546
Make your hotel reservation using this link:
https://aws.passkey.com/go/NARAM59
EVENTS
Open Spot Landing
C Altitude (Tracked)
B Super-roc Altitude (Altimeter)
C Payload Altitude (Altimeter)
B Eggloft Altitude (Tracked)
G Helicopter Duration (C and Team Divisions)
D Helicopter Duration (A and B Divisions)
C Flex-Wing Duration
Scale
Concept Scale
Research and Development
FAI World Cup
US Team Selection
Optically Tracked altitude events will most likely be
tracked to ejection, use of tracking powder advised.
Only commercially available altimeters approved by the
NAR Contest Board and publicly announced as approved
at least60 days before any contest where they are used
may be used in competition. These altimeters may not be
altered or modified in any manner, including use of power
sources which are outside the voltage range published by
the altimeter manufacturer.
An altimeter must meet the following requirements to be
approved by the Contest Board: Uses barometric
measurement techniques to record relative flight apogee
altitude above launch pad altitude. Resolution of 2 meters
or better in readout. Accuracy 2 percent of recorded
altitude or 2 meters, whichever is greater. Sampling rate
of 10 per second or greater. Audio or visual readout
directly from the altimeter. Capable of being automatically
or manually placed in a state of readiness to record new
flight data. This state must be audibly or visibly verifiable.
See Appendix G of the Sporting Code for a list of current
contest certified altimeters
m from the target. The target engagement has increased to 6 km
compared with the 5.2 km of the Igla (SA-16 / SA-18) system.
SA-24 Grinch 9K338 Igla-S Portable
Air Defense Missile System
[Or: “Yes Virginia, There IS a REAL Grinch – but it’s a Missile”]
The SA-24 Grinch (Russian name Igla-S 9K338) is the latest generation
of Russian portable air defense missile system. The SA-24 Grinch IglaS is a further development of the Igla family systems (SA-18 and SA16). In 2004 the Russian army adopted the new MANPADS - Igla-S
(sometimes called "Igla-Super") which is much more sophisticated
and efficient in countering air threats. Serial production of the "IglaS" ("Needle-S") portable antiaircraft missile complex (PAAMC) is
conducted at the Degtyarev factory in the city of Kovrov. The "Igla-S"
PAAMC by its capabilities is significantly superior to the "Igla" PAAMC,
which entered service in 1983.
The SA-24 Grinch Igla-S man portable air defense missile (MANPADS)
system is designed for use against visible targets as tactical aircraft,
helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicle, cruise missile, head-on or
receding, in the presence of natural (background) clutter and
countermeasures. The SA-24 Grinch Igla-S features high effectiveness
and increased range against small targets, such as cruise missile and
remotely piloted vehicles. The SA-24 Grinch Igla-S is able to engage
targets at night.
The launcher unit 9P522 fires the missile 9M342. The effectiveness of
the 9M342 missile against air targets is attributed to the increase
weight of the explosive in the missile's warhead and to the
impact/proximity fuse enabling the missile to kill the target both in
the event of a direct hit and when it passes at a distance of up to 1.5
When engaging slow or straight-receding targets, the operator tracks
the target with the
iron sights in the
launch
tube
and
applies
half-trigger.
The shooter then pulls
the trigger fully, and
immediately applies
lead
and
super
elevation. This method
is called a manual
engagement.
An
automatic mode, which is used against fast targets, allows the
shooter to fully depress the trigger in one pull followed by immediate
lead and super elevation of the launch tube.
The 9V866-2 and
9F719-2 maintenance
facilities can be used
to check the missile
and the launching
mechanisms of the Igla
and Igla-1 MANPADS.
The 9P522 launcher
can be used to fire the
Igla and Igla-S portable
SAM system. The
9M342 missile can be
mounted on different platforms using control equipment and
launching modules of the Strelets (9S846) set.
UH-OH! He’s giving US the Tawhid again!!!
Length, 1.63 m
Variants:
- 9K32 Srela-2 SA-7
- 9K32M Strela-M Sa-7b
- 9K34 Strela-3 SA-14
Gremlin
- 9K310 Igla-1 SA-16 Gimlet
- 9K38 Igla SA-18 Grouse
- 9K310-1 Igla-1M
Parting Shots - (or) - “Whasuup” in Space?
Aristarchus
Moon Craters that
Light Up?
What’s with this
“Transient Lunar
Phenomena?”
Named after the Greek
astronomer Aristarchus
of Samos, Aristarchus is
a prominent lunar
impact crater that lies
in the northwest part of
the Moon's near side. It
is
considered
the
brightest of the large
formations on the lunar surface, with an albedo nearly double that of most lunar
features. The feature is bright enough to be visible to the naked eye, and is
dazzling in a large telescope. It is also readily identified when most of the lunar
surface is illuminated by earthshine.
The crater is located at the southeastern edge of the Aristarchus plateau, an
elevated area that contains a number of volcanic features, such as sinuous rilles.
This area is also noted for the large number of reported transient lunar
phenomena, as well as recent emissions of radon gas as measured by the Lunar
Prospector spacecraft.
The region of the Aristarchus plateau has been the site of many reported
transient lunar phenomena, with a total of 122 such reports by 2007; the highest
recorded for any lunar feature. Such events include temporary obscurations and
colorations of the surface, and catalogues of these show that more than onethird of the most reliable spottings come from this locale. In 1971 when Apollo
15 passed 110 kilometers above the Aristarchus plateau, a significant rise in
alpha particles was detected. These particles are believed to be caused by the
decay of radon-222, a radioactive gas with a half-life of only 3.8 days. The Lunar
Prospector mission later confirmed Radon-222 emissions from this crater. These
observations could be explained by either the slow and visually imperceptible
diffusion of gas to the surface, or by discrete explosive events.
The Launch Rack
LAC Newsletter Award Recipient-2016
Volume 35, Number 1
Issue 199
January-February, 2017
Ahhh, We begin again on our yearly span of “issues” covering
the “issues” important to the GSSS Membership. Some readers
still consider this adventure in periodical literature to be trash,
so if you want to plunk down your $10 and use it to line your
spray painting booth, we welcome the opportunity to serve…
The Launch Rack is the official publication of the
Garden State Spacemodeling Society and is published for
the enlightenment and entertainment of the membership. It
is published bi-monthly (or more frequently) and is read by
the NAR President AND the LAC Newsletter Award
Committee – so you’re in good company!. (So Far!!!)
You are invited to send your articles, photos,
letters and hard earned cash to the editor for his
enlightenment, entertainment, and eventual publication.
This periodical is by and for the membership.
Articles appearing here may be used by others
provided credit is given to the author and this newsletter.
Editor
Jack Sarhage, Editor Most High
24 Canterbury Court
Piscataway, NJ 08854
E-mail: [email protected]
Beast of Burden
Dr. Bob Kreutz, Lackey to the High Editor
506 Hunters Road
Brick, NJ 08724-4614
The Launch Rack
c/o Jack Sarhage
24 Canterbury Court
Piscataway, NJ 08854-6206
This Box NOT Checked…
So this is Not your last Issue
January - February, 2017
Volume 35, No.1 (Issue 199)
Issue 200 Submission Deadline: 2-15-17