Tehachapi's Online Community News & Entertainment Guide
Tehachapi's Online Community News & Entertainment Guide
Sorted by date Results 26 - 36 of 36
Tehachapians are on the front lines of the conquest of space. Many work at Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Edwards Air Force Base/NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center, Mojave Air and Space Port, or one of the many supporting activities in the area. We all share the thrill of success – and the agony of the setbacks. We lost one of our own when Michael Alsbury went down with SpaceShipTwo VSS Enterprise on Halloween Day. He left behind a wife and two young children. We must help them find lasting m...
The preservation of the Tehachapi area's unique "transportation history" continues to be a priority for some dedicated volunteers. Friends of the Airport has embarked on several ventures intended to ensure that the local community and visitors have access to our city airport and its facilities for special events. Aviator Park has already served our community for several organizational picnics and fly-in events. Last year and this year the Warbird Fly-In, besides offering the public spectacular...
This September, two more space probes will arrive at Mars. After flying for the better part of a year in very loose formation, NASA's MAVEN and India's Mangalyaan orbiters will begin examining Mars with new eyes. This will bring the total number of operational satellites to five (three American, one European, and now one Indian), plus two surface rovers. MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution Mission) is on a daring mission to find out how Mars lost its atmosphere. The evidence is clear...
In the last Sky Watch article we were trying to wrap our minds around what we see when we look toward the center of our Milky Way Galaxy. As I explained, we live amongst a swirling disc of stars with a gigantic bulge in the middle, at the center of which is a supermassive-black hole, which has been devouring all that ventures near it for billions of years. Most of our view in that direction is blocked by the clouds of dust and gas that will one day be the stuff of new stars and planets. As I...
Lauren Hollen and I recently helped Tehachapi High School rap up their academic year by giving a short talk to all of their ninth graders on optics and telescopes. Lauren started things off by saying, in her infectiously animated style, “I’m sure you’re all excited that summer is right around the corner. So am I! -- but probably for a different reason: The Milky Way is approaching its best position for evening viewing, and the weather is becoming more cooperative.” The thing that captiva...
A grand time was had at the Tehachapi High School Telescope Clinic/Star Party on May 23. Forty-three people gathered to enjoy telescopes large and small with a partly cloudy sky that was clear enough in just the right places. A common question was, "What's the best telescope for someone just starting out?" While this is an easy enough question to address with generalities (as I did in my last column), it's been difficult to answer with specifics – until now. Back in January, Sky & Telescope maga...
After months of cloudy, turbulent skies, it's finally time to break out our telescopes. To mark this occasion, Lauren Hollen and I, by virtue of our non-existent authority as NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassadors, hereby declare May to be Telescope Month in the Greater Tehachapi Area. To celebrate, we, in conjunction with the Greater Tehachapi Astronomers and the Tehachapi High School, will be holding a Telescope Clinic and Star Party in the Tehachapi High School courtyard on the evening of Friday,...
This column is about aerospace happenings in and around Tehachapi. I'm going to stretch that definition and tell you about a marvelous trip to Tucson, Ariz. If you don't mind driving ten hours at a stretch, you can get there in a day. I chose to go by train: Metrolink from Lancaster to Union Station, and Amtrak will get you there at dawn. The 24/7 party at the Congress Hotel across from the train station will probably still be going strong. (Complementary earplugs are available for hotel...
The old Roman god of war will be "marching" its way into our evening sky this month. (Yes, we do indeed call this month "March" because it was when the Roman Army could once again get on the move.) The planet Mars has been keeping a discreet distance from us for quite some time. It will finally start becoming prominent again in our evening sky this month. As March progresses, Mars will become an eye catcher, a dazzler in binoculars, a treat in a small telescope, and a rewarding experience in a...
Lauren Hollen, retired Tehachapi High School Science Teacher, and I have been selected by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena to represent it and the rest of NASA as Solar System Ambassadors. The program is part of NASA's public education and outreach efforts. It taps the energy and talents of motivated and qualified volunteers from across the nation to bring space exploration to local communities and encourage Americans to pursue education in science, technology, engineering, and math....
Keeping an eye above the horizon... The Hawk is back! After a two year hiatus, I am please to report that the VA has cleared me to return to (limited) writing duty. Fortune and perseverance permitting, I plan to help you keep your gaze above the horizon with a monthly briefing. My heartfelt thanks go out to all of the wonderful folks on my Team who made my return to print possible. Much has happened since my last article: The International Space Station has become fully operational; us stick-and...
