CVAS Starfest

Star Fest Information
Join us at the 20th annual Northwoods Starfest, August 1st through 3rd, 2008, at Hobbs Observatory near Fall Creek, Wisconsin.

Hobbs Observatory is part of the Beaver Creek Reserve (BCR). Recreational possibilities include the Eau Claire County Youth Camp, the Wise Nature Center, hiking trails, and bicycling.

Hobbs Observatory has two domes, one with a 24-inch f/5 reflector and the other with a 14-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain. There is a large meeting area where some talks and presentations take place. There is a large auditorium located at the Nature Center. There is a large field in front of the observatory to set up for observing. The skies are quite dark.

C.V.A.S. has reserved the Youth Camp for Starfest use. The camp has five cabins and the Cedar Lodge. The cabins sleep 20; the lodge, up to 40. Cabins have bunk style beds and mattresses. You will need to bring sleeping bags and pillows. Showers are available for all guests, but bring your own towels. Tenting and camper spaces are also available.

If you are interested in a swap fest, bring whatever astronomical goodies you want to get rid of. Also, if you have slides, a talk, or a video that you would like to show, bring them with you.

Look around the CVAS web page for more information about the C.V.A.S. and Hobbs Observatory.

Friday, August 1st

5:30pm -- Brats and Hot Dogs in front of the observatory
Cost not included in the registration fee!

"Going Ballistic: Making Impact Craters in the Laboratory." Dr. Jennifer L.B. Anderson

Dr Anderson received her PhD in Geological Sciences (2004) at Brown University where she studied impact crater formation with Dr. Peter Schultz. She is an experimental impact cratering scientist who uses the Vertical Gun Range laboratory at NASA Ames Research Center to make and study impact craters in the lab.
She also received her Master's Degree from Brown University (2001) and holds Bachelor's Degrees from the University of Minnesota in Geophysics, Astrophysics, and Physics (1998). She is originally from eastern Wisconsin and has been an amateur astronomer since the age of five. Currently, she is an Assistant Professor of Geoscience at Winona State University in southeastern Minnesota where she teachers astronomy,
planetary geology, geophysics, historical geology, Time in Motion (a dance and science class), and WSU's Investigative Science sequence of science content courses for elementary education majors.
She also maintains and operates the WSU Observatory on campus.

Saturday, August 2nd

Jim Elbert will present a special lecture on the design, launch and operation of the space vehicles that he has helped to engineer. Jim will also include some historical information about the space industry and his career. He will speak from years of experience as only an insider can do. Jim was involved with: TDRSS (the Tracking & Data Relay Satellite System), the deep space probes (Pioneer 10 & 11), the MILSTAR satellite, and finally the TRW contribution to the Apollo Program (and how they got back safely after the disaster on Apollo 13).

Jim's first encounter with these subjects was during summer employment at the Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama in 1958. He was was privileged to work a summer there in the Missile Engineering Section and see first hand what was being done. This encounter with 'space things' then continued on after joining TRW Space Technology Laboratories in 1965. He will then discuss the history of The Ramo-Wooldridge Corporation (later to become TRW) and its advisory capacity to the U.S. government on the ICBM and Space Programs. Also included will be vehicle launches from Cape Canaveral, the basic principles of Inertial Navigation, the different kinds of Orbits that are used for various kinds of satellites and space probes, different classes of spacecraft design configurations. Then there will be a brief discussion of spacecraft 'attitude control systems' and how they work. This is a singularly important subject especially for objects where 'precision pointing' is required.

Sunday, August 3rd

Paper Session
An informal paper session is planned for Saturday afternoon. If you have something to share: slides, a video tape, a unique telescope, or anything else that people might enjoy, we encourage you to sign up.

Registration
The registration fee is $50 per person until July 10th (postmark date) . It is $60 after that. The fee includes registration, meals and snacks, lodging or camping fees, and speakers' fees.

If you plan to bring a camper, park in the field adjacent to the observatory. There are a few electrical outlets available outside the observatory for your use. WE NEED TO KNOW IF YOU ARE PLANNING TO BRING AN RV SINCE WE HAVE LIMITED SPACE FOR THEM !!

Please let us know if you have any other special needs before Starfest and we'll do our best to accommodate them. For hotel/motel information for the area call the Eau Claire Visitors Bureau at (715)-831-2345.

Click HERE , print it out, fill it out, and mail it to the address shown on the form.

Northwoods Starfest 2008

Hobbs Observatory, Beaver Creek Reserve, Fall Creek, Wisconsin

Friday, August 1st

Saturday, August 2nd

Sunday, August 3rd



	Northwoods Starfest 2008 Hobbs Observatory, Beaver Creek Reserve, Fall Creek, Wisconsin August 1 - 3, 2008 Sponsored by the Chippewa Valley Astronomical Society (C.V.A.S.) cvastro.org Images from 2006 StarFest Star Fest Information Join us at the 20th annual Northwoods Starfest, August 1st through 3rd, 2008, at Hobbs Observatory near Fall Creek, Wisconsin. Hobbs Observatory is part of the Beaver Creek Reserve (BCR). Recreational possibilities include the Eau Claire County Youth Camp, the Wise Nature Center, hiking trails, and bicycling. For maps to the observatory Hobbs Observatory has two domes, one with a 24-inch f/5 reflector and the other with a 14-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain. There is a large meeting area where some talks and presentations take place. There is a large auditorium located at the Nature Center. There is a large field in front of the observatory to set up for observing. The skies are quite dark. C.V.A.S. has reserved the Youth Camp for Starfest use. The camp has five cabins and the Cedar Lodge. The cabins sleep 20; the lodge, up to 40. Cabins have bunk style beds and mattresses. You will need to bring sleeping bags and pillows. Showers are available for all guests, but bring your own towels. Tenting and camper spaces are also available. If you are interested in a swap fest, bring whatever astronomical goodies you want to get rid of. Also, if you have slides, a talk, or a video that you would like to show, bring them with you. Look around the CVAS web page for more information about the C.V.A.S. and Hobbs Observatory. SCHEDULE OF EVENETS Friday, August 1st 5 pm -- Registration 5:30pm -- Brats and Hot Dogs in front of the observatory Cost not included in the registration fee! - 8:00 PM Featured Speaker `"Going Ballistic: Making Impact Craters in the Laboratory." Dr. Jennifer L.B. Anderson` `Dr Anderson received her PhD in Geological Sciences (2004) at Brown University where she studied impact crater formation with Dr. Peter Schultz. She is an experimental impact cratering scientist who uses the Vertical Gun Range laboratory at NASA Ames Research Center to make and study impact craters in the lab.` `She also received her Master's Degree from Brown University (2001) and holds Bachelor's Degrees from the University of Minnesota in Geophysics, Astrophysics, and Physics (1998). She is originally from eastern Wisconsin and has been an amateur astronomer since the age of five. Currently, she is an Assistant Professor of Geoscience at Winona State University in southeastern Minnesota where she teachers astronomy,` `planetary geology, geophysics, historical geology, Time in Motion (a dance and science class), and WSU's Investigative Science sequence of science content courses for elementary education majors.` `She also maintains and operates the WSU Observatory on campus.` 9 pm -- Observing Session Midnight -- Snack Saturday, August 2nd 10 am to 12 -- Brunch, Registration 1 pm -- Paper Sessions Northwoods Star Party Talks Society of Amateur Radio Astronomers (SARA) talks Details available at registration 4 pm -- Swap Fest in the observatory 5:30 pm --Dinner 6:30 pm - Door Prizes - Dining Hall - Must be present to win 7:30 pm - Group Photo in front of the observatory - 8:00 PM Featured Speaker `"The Designing and Operation of Space Vehicles" or` `"Some Spacecraft I have known"` `Jim Elbert` Jim Elbert will present a special lecture on the design, launch and operation of the space vehicles that he has helped to engineer. Jim will also include some historical information about the space industry and his career. He will speak from years of experience as only an insider can do. Jim was involved with: TDRSS (the Tracking & Data Relay Satellite System), the deep space probes (Pioneer 10 & 11), the MILSTAR satellite, and finally the TRW contribution to the Apollo Program (and how they got back safely after the disaster on Apollo 13). Jim's first encounter with these subjects was during summer employment at the Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama in 1958. He was was privileged to work a summer there in the Missile Engineering Section and see first hand what was being done. This encounter with 'space things' then continued on after joining TRW Space Technology Laboratories in 1965. He will then discuss the history of The Ramo-Wooldridge Corporation (later to become TRW) and its advisory capacity to the U.S. government on the ICBM and Space Programs. Also included will be vehicle launches from Cape Canaveral, the basic principles of Inertial Navigation, the different kinds of Orbits that are used for various kinds of satellites and space probes, different classes of spacecraft design configurations. Then there will be a brief discussion of spacecraft 'attitude control systems' and how they work. This is a singularly important subject especially for objects where 'precision pointing' is required. 9:30 pm -- Observing Session Midnight -- Snack Sunday, August 3rd 8 am -- Breakfast Noon -- Checkout Paper Session An informal paper session is planned for Saturday afternoon. If you have something to share: slides, a video tape, a unique telescope, or anything else that people might enjoy, we encourage you to sign up. Registration The registration fee is $50 per person until July 10th (postmark date) . It is $60 after that. The fee includes registration, meals and snacks, lodging or camping fees, and speakers' fees. The fee does NOT include Friday night brats and hot dogs. If you plan to bring a camper, park in the field adjacent to the observatory. There are a few electrical outlets available outside the observatory for your use. WE NEED TO KNOW IF YOU ARE PLANNING TO BRING AN RV SINCE WE HAVE LIMITED SPACE FOR THEM !! Please let us know if you have any other special needs before Starfest and we'll do our best to accommodate them. For hotel/motel information for the area call the Eau Claire Visitors Bureau at (715)-831-2345. For more information, contact Hobbs Observatory at (715)-877-2787 or Any of the officers - Email addresses on home page Please let us know in advance if you are coming to help us with meal planning. Registration Form Click HERE , print it out, fill it out, and mail it to the address shown on the form.
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