[AstroNet] NASA Astronaut and IAU President tour of South Africa starts today
Kevin Govender
kg at saao.ac.za
Mon Nov 8 11:01:26 SAST 2010
Greetings all
Following from my last email please find below more information and
latest schedule of the tour from the Department of Science and
Technology (schedule subject to minor changes).
The NASA astronaut (Dr Jeffrey Hoffman) will be accompanied by the
president of the International Astronomical Union, Dr Robert Williams,
as well as Prof Charles McGruder. They will be escorted around the
country by Dr Gordon MacLeod from the Department of Science and
Technology (DST) who has also agreed to be the contact point if anyone
would like to speak to any one of them or find out more details.
Gordon's mobile number is 071 850 9079 (email:
Gordon.Macleod at dst.gov.za). The other contact person from the DST is
Tommy Makhode, Science Communications, 082 379 8268. (Please note that I
am not the organiser of these visits and any queries should be directed
to either Gordon or Tommy at DST)
The press release on the DST's website:
http://www.dst.gov.za/nasa-astronaut-visits-sa-to-promote-astronomy-and-support-for-ska-bid/
The information below is not on that website.
*
NOTE: the information about the tour to Hermanus is incorrect on the DST
website. The public lecture at Hermanus will take place on 13 November
from 10:00 to 11:30. Contact person there is Dr Lee-Anne McKinnell
(lmckinnell at hmo.ac.za).*
Regards
Kevin
0824878466
ASTRONAUT & ASTRONOMER TOUR TO PROMOTE SPACE SCIENCE, ASTRONOMY AND THE
AFRICAN SKA
1. INTRODUCTION
The International Astronomical Union (IAU) encourages the development of
science through various astronomy outreach programmes around the world.
Astronomy is seen as an easy way to excite the youth about science. In
particular the IAU has identified Africa as a destination for these
outreach programmes and promoting the growth of interest in science
through astronomy.
One outreach programme is the Astronaut tour. These tours are arranged
by the IAU where they find willing astronauts to tour a country where
the country provides all local logistical financing and support. Dr
Robert Williams, President, IAU, has arranged that Dr Jeffrey Hoffman,
former NASA Astronaut and Professor at Massachusetts Institute of
Technology and Prof. Charles McGruder, Professor at Western Kentucky
University accompany him on a five-city tour of South Africa (Pretoria,
Bloemfontein, Durban, Kimberley, and Hermanus). The intention of the
tour is to bring astronomy to other regions of South Africa and to
excite and encourage people about the opportunities in astronomy and
space science.
2. BRIEF BIOGRAPHY OF DR JEFFREY HOFFMAN
Dr Jeffrey A. Hoffman (PhD) was born November 2 1944 in Brooklyn New
York. He received a Bachelor of Arts (Astronomy) from Amherst College in
1966 and his PhD (Astrophysics) from Harvard University in 1971. He also
has an MSc (Material Sciences) from Rice University in 1988. His primary
research interests were high-energy astrophysics (gamma and x-ray
astronomy) and worked on balloon-borne and satellite astronomy payloads.
In 1975 he became the project scientist in charge of the orbiting HEAO-1
A4 hard X-ray and gamma ray experiment. He has written or co-authored
more than 20 papers.
Dr Hoffman was selected by NASA in January 1978 and became an astronaut
in August 1979. During his tenure at NASA he assisted with the
development of a high-pressure spacesuit and preparations for assembly
of the International Space Station. His first space mission was aboard
the Shuttle Discovery on 12 -- 19 April 1985. He also went into space on
the Shuttle Columbia (2 -- 10 December 1990), and Atlantis (31 July -- 8
August 1992). On his fourth space mission aboard Shuttle Endeavour (2 --
13 December 1993) he, along with 4 other astronauts, performed a record
5 space walks to service and repair the Hubble Space Telescope (HST).
His last space mission was Shuttle Columbia (22 February -- 9 March
1996). Dr Hoffman became the first astronaut to log 1000 hours aboard
the Space Shuttle. He has spent 1,211 hours in space and travelled 21.5
million miles.
Dr Hoffman left NASA and the space programme in July 1997. At present Dr
Hoffman has been seconded by NASA to the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology (MIT) where he is involved in research projects pertaining to
the International Space Station and lectures on space operations and design.
3. BRIEF BIOGRAPHY OF DR ROBERT WILLIAMS
Dr Robert Williams received his education from the University of
California, Berkeley and the University of Wisconsin. He received an
Alexander von Humboldt Award from the German government in 1991 for his
original research, and he was awarded the Beatrice Tinsley Prize of the
American Astronomical Society for his leadership of the Hubble Deep
Field project, mankind's deepest view into space which revealed the
early universe with Hubble Telescope. For this project he was awarded
the NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal in 1999.
Dr Williams is the Distinguished Research Scholar of the Space Telescope
Science Institute in Baltimore, USA, and he served as Director of the
Institute from 1993-98. The Institute operates the Hubble Space
Telescope for NASA. Dr. Williams spent 8 years in Chile as Director of
the national observatory of the U.S. in the southern hemisphere.
Dr Williams' research specialties are exploding stars and galaxies. He
is a strong advocate for science education and outreach and their impact
on economic development, and he gives many lectures around the world on
the recent discoveries about the universe from the Hubble Telescope. Dr
Williams is currently President of the International Astronomical Union.
3. BRIEF BIOGRAPHY OF PROF CHARLES MCGRUDER
Prof Charles McGruder has a bachelor's degree in astronomy from the
California Institute of Technology in 1965 and a doctorate from the
University of Heidelberg in Germany in 1974. Prior to coming to Western
Kentucky University (WKU), Prof McGruder spent time at Vanderbilt
University, Fisk University and the University of Nigeria. He was also a
visiting professor at Western Kentucky University in 1989-90.
Prof McGruder has been at WKU since 1993. He was head of WKU's
Department of Physics and Astronomy from 1993 to 2002 and is a past
president of the National Society of Black Physicists.
In 2005, Prof McGruder was appointed to the National Research Council's
Committee on Astronomy and Astrophysics. The committee, which is
appointed by the president of The National Academy of Sciences, monitors
the status of space- and ground-based astronomy and astrophysics and
provides assessments to the National Science Foundation, NASA, and other
institutions as a joint committee of the Space Studies Board and the
Board on Physics and Astronomy. The overall objective is to encourage
progress in astronomy and astrophysics and to assist the federal
government in planning programs in these fields.
His research interests include extrasolar planets, gamma ray bursts, and
the construction of a worldwide network of fully robotic imaging
telescopes. He also has worked on the proposed Kentucky Academy of
Mathematics and Science at WKU.
4. THE TOUR OBJECTIVES
Astronomy and space science has been declared as one of the five grand
challenges in South Africa at the Department of Science & Technology.
Development in these fields in South Africa is concentrated in two main
centres, the Western Cape and Gauteng. Small pockets of research in
these fields can be found in the North West Province, Eastern Cape,
KwaZulu-Natal, and the Free State. If South Africa is to realise the
maximum potential of these fields of interest more growth must be
encouraged in the rest of the country. To this end the Astronaut and the
two astronomers will give lectures to the general public at institutes
of higher learning or national facilities in Pretoria, Bloemfontein,
Durban, Kimberley and Hermanus. A schedule of the tour is attached.
The objectives of this tour are:
. Excite and encourage young people about astronomy & space science
and science in general.
. Assist smaller centres of research in astronomy & space science in
attracting new people.
. Create greater awareness in the general public about astronomy &
space science and to showcase the efforts made by the South African
government in these fields, e.g. SALT, HESS and MeerKAT.
4. DST PARTICIPATION
The tour will begin with a photographic opportunity with the visiting
guests and Minister Pandor. The guests and Minister Pandor are scheduled
to appear on a local morning show on ETV on 9 November 2010. The will be
accompanied at all times in the country by Dr Gordon MacLeod, Director:
Astronomy Frontiers, and a DST representative of the South African
National Space Agency (to be named later).
A cocktail party shall be held after the UNISA lecture, provided by
UNISA, where members of the local community will be invited, including:
. DST staff
. Ambassadors and embassy staff in Pretoria
. Local government officials
ASTRONAUT SPEAKING TOUR OF SOUTH AFRICA
8 - 15 NOVEMBER 2010
TIME Event Place Venue Contact
8 November -- 17:00pm Fly to Cape Town (ladies remain in Jo-burg)
Johannesburg
8 November -- 19:10pm transport to hotel Cape Town
8 November -- 19:30 -- 21:00am Dinner Hosted by Minister Cape Town
9 November -- 07:40 -- 09:00am "Morning Live" with Min. Pandor
Cape Town
9 November -- 09:00 -- 10:00am Photo op/media event with Min.
Pandor Cape Town
9 November -- 11:50am Fly to Johannesburg Cape Town
9 November -- 13:50pm Arrive in O R Tambo Int'l Airport Johannesburg
9 November -- 16:30 -- 17:00pm Travel to UNISA Pretoria
Derck Smits (Smitsdp at unisa.ac.za)
9 November -- 17:00 -- 18:30pm Public lecture at University of South
Africa Pretoria UNISA Derck Smits (Smitsdp at unisa.ac.za) and
Rudi Horak (SciEnza) (Rudi.Horak at up.ac.za)
9 November -- 19:00 -- 21:00pm Formal Gathering Pretoria
UNISA Derck Smits (Smitsdp at unisa.ac.za) and Rudi Horak (SciEnza)
(Rudi.Horak at up.ac.za)
10 November -- 08:00am Fly to Bloemfontein O R Tambo Airport
10 November -- 09:05am Arrive in Bloemfontein Bloemfontein
10 November -- 09:05 -- 11:00pm Book in at Hotel Bloemfontein
Matie Hoffman (HoffmaMJ at ufs.ac.za)
Piet Menjies
10 November -- 11:00 -- 12:00pm Visit to UFS Dept. of Physics
Bloemfontein Matie Hoffman (HoffmaMJ at ufs.ac.za)
Piet Menjies
10 November -- 12:00 -- 13:00pm Lunch at UFS with invited guests
Bloemfontein Matie Hoffman (HoffmaMJ at ufs.ac.za)
Piet Menjies
10 November -- 14:00 -- 15:30pm Public Lecture at UFS
Bloemfontein Matie Hoffman (HoffmaMJ at ufs.ac.za)
Piet Menjies
10 November -- 17:00 -- 17:30pm Travel to Boyden Observatory
Bloemfontein UFS/Boyden Matie Hoffman (HoffmaMJ at ufs.ac.za)
Piet Menjies
10 November -- 17:30 -- 18:00pm Tour of Boyden Observatory
Bloemfontein UFS/Boyden Matie Hoffman (HoffmaMJ at ufs.ac.za)
Piet Menjies
10 November -- 18:30 -- 19:30pm Public lecture at Boyden Observatory
Bloemfontein UFS/Boyden Matie Hoffman (HoffmaMJ at ufs.ac.za)
Piet Menjies
10 November -- 19:30 -- 20:30pm Dinner at Boyden Observatory
Bloemfontein UFS/Boyden Matie Hoffman (HoffmaMJ at ufs.ac.za)
Piet Menjies
10 November -- 20:30 -- 21:00pm Observing via telescopes optional
Bloemfontein UFS/Boyden Matie Hoffman (HoffmaMJ at ufs.ac.za)
Piet Menjies
11 November -- 07:30am Fly to Durban via Jo-burg Bloemfontein
11 November -- 11:20am Arrive in Durban Durban
11 November -- 12:00 -- 13:30pm Tour of DUT Durban Gary J
van Vuuren (garyvv at dut.ac.za) Indlebe team
11 November -- 14:00 -- 15:30pm Lunch and tour of KZNU Durban
Kavilan Moodley (kavilan.moodley at gmail.com) (ACRU) and Sadha Pillay
(pillaysd at ukzn.ac.za) Head of School: Physics
11 November -- 15:00 -- 16:30pm Public lecture at KZNU Durban
UKZN Kavilan Moodley (kavilan.moodley at gmail.com) (ACRU) and Sadha
Pillay (pillaysd at ukzn.ac.za) Head of School: Physics;
Also contact Allison Ruiters of Gateway Science Centre
(aruiterssc at gatewayworld.co.za)
12 November -- 06:30am Fly to Kimberley via Joburg Durban
12 November -- 10:15am Arrive in Kimberley Kimberley
12 November -- 15:00 -- 16:30pm Public lecture at Nat. Inst. Of
Higher Education Kimberley NIHE Anthony Mpisi (cpd at nihe.co.za)
from NIHE and Paul Mokwena (paulmokwena at gmail.com) from DOE
12 November -- 18:30pm Fly to Cape Town Cape Town
12 November -- 20:05pm Arrive in Cape Town Cape Town
13 November -- 08:00 -- 09:30pm Drive to Hermanus Hermanus
HMO Dr Lee-Anne McKinnell (lmckinnell at hmo.ac.za) from HMO
13 November -- 10:00 -- 11:30pm Public lecture at HMO Hermanus
HMO Dr Lee-Anne McKinnell (lmckinnell at hmo.ac.za) from HMO
13 November -- 11:30 -- 13:00pm Tour of HMO Hermanus HMO Dr
Lee-Anne McKinnell (lmckinnell at hmo.ac.za) from HMO
13 November -- 13:00 -- 14:00pm Lunch at HMO Hermanus HMO
13 November -- 14:00 -- 15:30pm Drive back to Cape Town Cape Town
13 November -- 19:00 -- 21:00pm Dinner with Consular General (CPT)
Cape Town US Consulate
14 November -- all day Private visits in CT area Cape Town
15 November -- 09:00 -- 09:45am Cape Academy - Tokai Cape Town
Anja Fourie (anja at scifest.org.za)
15 November -- 13:50 -- 15:50pm Fly to Jo-burg (Mr & Mrs Hoffman and
G MacLeod) Cape Town
16 November -- 14:30 -- 16:30pm Fly to Jo-burg (Mr & Mrs Williams)
Cape Town
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