Tom, a 21-year veteran of the United States Air Force, was involved in many activities at VBAS. He served two terms as President of the Society—in 2011 and 2017. In the early years he would often bring his father to the planetarium for “father/son activities”. He was always willing to help society members with their astronomy questions, helping them obtain the right gear for their activities and frequently spoke at our Planetarium shows. His shows were always educational and entertaining. His “Vacation on Mercury” show was always a crowd favorite. In addition to speaking at our shows, Tom got into the “Christmas Spirit” each December and dressed up as one of the 3 Wise Men to tell the Christmas story.

Tom also poured his life into the Boy Scouts of America. As a troop leader, Tom would frequently take young boys on camping trips to prepare them to make sound ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Law. Tom’s efforts will bear fruit in subsequent generations because of his devotion to helping young people develop their character.

Tom will be sorely missed at VBAS in the days to come. We choose to remember him and honor his memory. The family has asked that in lieu of flowers donations be made to VBAS. We commit to using these funds to continue working in the lives of young people.

In lieu of flowers, Tom’s family has asked that donations be made to the Von Braun Astronomical Society in his memory. Your contribution will help VBAS continue the work Tom cared about—bringing astronomy to our community and inspiring the next generation of stargazers.

Please consider making a donation in Tom’s memory.

Donate to VBAS in Memory of Tom

October 17^th, 1-5 PM & 7:30 – 9 PM

Von Braun Astronomical Society will celebrate Astronomy Day on October 17th in person at Monte Sano State Park! Daytime events (between 1 – 5 pm) will include: mini-planetarium shows, Telescope tours, and Meteor radar demos. Evening events (between 7:30 – 9 pm) will include a keynote speech followed by a planetarium show.

Astronomy Day is FREE and open to the public!

7:30 PM Keynote talk by Dr. Heidi Haviland

Lunar Science from Artemis I, II & Commercially Landed Payloads

Dr. Haviland will highlight the science gained during the recent Artemis and commercial lander missions. Test flight Artemis I included several biology payloads and deployed ten Cube Satellites. The Artemis II crew participated in the first geological observations of the lunar farside. They were also able to observe space weather events, and six impact flashes from meteoroid impacts during their mission. The science campaign on Artemis II also included radiation detectors and human research. Four US commercial companies have attempted lunar landings in the past two years: Astrobotic Peregrine Mission 1, Intuitive Machines 1, 2, and Firefly Blue Ghost Mission 1. Over twenty science payloads were included in these missions. Dr. Haviland will highlight the science gained from these missions. Following, she will discuss the plans for science from the upcoming Artemis and Moon Base missions.

Dr. Heidi Haviland is a planetary scientist at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. Originally from California, Dr. Haviland studied at Biola University and the University of Southern California earning two bachelor’s, and began her career designing and building spacecraft at Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems. Following, Dr. Haviland then moved to Strasbourg, France, to study at the International Space University and obtained a master’s degree. Afterwards, Heidi studied at UC Berkeley’s Space Sciences Lab and completed her dissertation. Subsequently, she joined the Planetary Science Laboratory at Louisiana State University.

Heidi’s scientific research focuses on understanding planetary interiors using electromagnetic geophysical methods, neutron measurements, seismic normal modes, and the space plasma environment of airless bodies such as the Moon. She is the project scientist of the Neutron Measurements at the Lunar Surface (NMLS) instrument that will fly on Astrobotic’s Peregrine Mission one, and a science team member on the InSight mission. Heidi also leads an interdisciplinary research group focused on understanding the chemistry of the Moon through thermoelastic and petrological modeling. Heidi is the Project Scientist for the CLPS PRISM1a (CP-11) delivery which will investigate the Reiner Gamma surface swirl.

Thanks to our Sponsors

Each Spring it’s possible to view all 110 Messier deep sky objects in a single night. A Messier Marathon is an event for amateur astronomers to attempt to observe as many of these objects as possible. It’s not a race or a contest, but more of an opportunity to get out and do what we love doing most in the company of other like-minded observers.

See you Friday night!

The science behind the structure of the universe

Benjamin Gibson will be our speaker for January. He is an astrophysicist at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore. He describes himself as a galactic archaeologist by using stars as a fossil history to trace the merger and evolution history of the galaxy.

Abstract: Join me on a tour of our night sky, and learn a bit of the hidden reality of the Milky Way and other galaxies across the cosmos! We’ll explore various parts of the electromagnetic spectrum and get an idea for many of the astronomical curiosities that we can’t see with our eyes. We’ll also see dozens of beautiful images from the Hubble and James Webb Space Telescopes, as well as many of the other top observatories across the world. Gain a new appreciation for the night sky and all the wonder that’s out there!

Admission opens at 7:00pm; $5/adult, $3/student, 6 and under free.

Telescope viewing afterwards on clear nights.

December 6th – Star of Wonder

What was the star that the Magi saw? Join VBAS educator Beth Bero for this family-friendly program that explores the history, science and wonder of a special star. Followed by a look at our current night sky under the planetarium dome.

Presented by Beth Bero

December 13th – Star of Wonder

VBAS actors tell the Christmas Story told from the perspective of the three wise men. The journey the wise men took that first Christmas comes to life as they detail their quest to find the Christ Child and answer a very basic question: what could cause that star to shine so brightly? Children 12 and under will receive a goodie bag of toys and candy.

Presented by Don Reed, Jared Cassidy and Tom Burlington

December 20th – Star of Wonder

VBAS actors tell the Christmas Story told from the perspective of the three wise men. The journey the wise men took that first Christmas comes to life as they detail their quest to find the Christ Child and answer a very basic question: what could cause that star to shine so brightly? Children 12 and under will receive a goodie bag of toys and candy.

Presented by Don Reed, Jared Cassidy and Tom Burlington

December 27th – Standing Stones and Sungazers

In recognition of the Winter Solstice we will explore how we believe ancient civilizations marked the passage of the year through monuments, monoliths and markers and learn about the astronomical causes of all the motions.

Presented by Alex Hall

Apollo 8

In 1968 the Space Race was in full tilt. The Apollo program was on schedule to make it to the Moon before the end of the decade. However, reports held that the Russians were still ahead of NASA to get to the moon. To further complicate the issue, the Lunar Excursion Moduel (LEM), the vehicle necessary to land on the moon and that Apollo 8 was supposed to test in Earth orbit only, was not going to be ready for the scheduled test flight. In a classified meeting and with only a few months left to prepare, NASA charged Apollo 8 astronauts Frank Boreman, Jim Lovel, and Bill Anders with a new mission. They would no longer be testing the LEM in Earth orbit. They would go without the LEM and orbit the Moon before Christmas. As a result, these three astronauts would become the first people to leave Earth orbit and see the far side of the Moon. As part of their new mission, they were to photograph the surface of the Moon and find an adequate landing site for the upcoming Apollo 11 mission. But what they discovered and photographed on December 24th, on their fourth orbit around the moon, was nothing anyone anticipated or planned for.

The planetarium doors will open at 6:30 pm ahead of the 7:30 pm program and the meteorites will also be available for viewing afterwards.

https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/the-vbas-celestial-celebration-silent-auction

Bidding closes at 6:30pm on the 26th of September. We may still add more items, so check back often and spread the word!

Von Braun Astronomical Society will celebrate Astronomy Day on September 27th in person at Monte Sano State Park! Daytime events (between 1 – 5 pm) will include: mini-planetarium shows, Telescope tours, and Meteor radar demos. Evening events (between 7:30 – 9 pm) will include a keynote speech followed by a planetarium show.

Astronomy Day is FREE and open to the public!

7:30 PM Keynote talk by Mr. Rod Pyle

Silver Dust and Red Dreams: The Moon and Mars Circa 1950

Rod Pyle is a space author, journalist, and historian who has authored 20 books on space history, exploration and development for major publishers and NASA that have been released in ten languages. He is the Editor-in-Chief for the National Space Society’s quarterly print magazine Ad Astra and his articles have appeared in Space.com, LiveScience, Futurity, Huffington Post, Popular Science, the BBC’s Sky at Night, the World Economic Forum, Caltech’s E&S magazine, and WIRED. Rod has written extensively for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Caltech, including Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s annual Technology Highlights book. Rod co-authored and lectured for the Apollo Executive Leadership Program for NASA’s Johnson Space Center and The Conference Board. His recent books include Space 2.0 (with a foreword by Buzz Aldrin), Interplanetary Robots, Heroes of the Space Age, and First on the Moon (also with a foreword by Aldrin). Both First on the Moon and Rod’s previous Missions to the Moon (foreword by Gene Kranz) were national bestsellers and translated into multiple languages. He was recently commissioned by the Library of Congress to write the preface for Neil Armstrong’s first words on the moon for its accession to the permanent collection.

Rod has also produced or consulted on multiple space documentaries for The History Channel, Discovery Communications and National Geographic. He also worked in visual effects on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and the Battlestar Galactica 2004 reboot, as well as sci-fi TV pilots. Rod was a consulting producer on the National Geographic documentaries Apollo 11 and The Real Stuff (based on Tom Wolfe's iconic book The Right Stuff).

Rod is an advisor for the Haughton-Mars Project (HMP), a NASA-affiliated Mars analog base in the High Arctic. Besides assisting with fieldwork there, he handles publicity and outreach for HMP and the Mars Institute with Dr. Pascal Lee.

Rod can be seen on The History Channel’s UnXplained: With William Shatner and is a regular guest on national radio with KFI/Los Angeles, WABC/New York, and WGN/Chicago as well as popular podcasts and radio in other markets. Rod co-hosts and produces the This Week in Space with Space.com’s Tariq Malik. He holds an MA from Stanford University and a BFA from the Art Center College of Design, and lives in Alhambra, California.

Thanks to our Sponsors

NASA Meteor Monitoring at VBAS

Our topic will be: NASA Meteor Monitoring at VBAS with NASA specialist Dr. Bill Cooke. The Global Meteor Network is a Canada based project with sites all over the world collecting and reporting data on meteor strikes in Earth’s atmosphere. Each site uses a visual camera and specialized software to monitor the night sky for meteors. Each day, calibrated data from the previous night is reported back to a central database. More info available at https://globalmeteornetwork.org

Bill Cooke’s team at NASA participate in the network and one of their cameras is now mounted at the VBAS Swanson observatory. The VBAS station is called USN009 and you can access the latest and archived data from this station through the VBAS website on our Sky Conditions page or at https://globalmeteornetwork.org/weblog/US/.