CHANGE SEBVICE REOUESI ED ASHLAND, MA PEBMIT NO.7

#AE&ffiffi r*p*fts
Bobert Harman, KCAUTX (L), receiving his 5o-Year Award trom Chuck Johnson,
WD4NSZ (R).
emergency becouse of the prohibition of pecuniory interest
of hom rodio. However technicol the conflict seems to be,
it is felt thot this issue must be oddressed so I leove the
solution to those in chorge to resolve it.
RK Hormon, KC4UTX, received his 5O-Yeor Aword.
Grody Robinson due his SO-Yeor Aword but wos not present
so it will be moiled to him.
The progrom wos on introduction, instolling ond operoting
the Ubuntu/Linux operoting system with o demonstrotion
on the system ond some of the 90 dedicoted hom
rodio progroms it contqins.
Rolfi Mott, N4RM
Chqpter 9I, Vic CIqrk (VA)
Vic Clork Chopter 9i, serving the Woshington DC metropoliton
oreo hos been busy with our monthly meetings ond
tours throughout the summer ond eorly foll. ln honor of the
2009 lnternotionol Yeor of Astronomy, we hod on invigoroted
ond stimuloting visit to our meeting by Robert
Zimmermon, KB3lWD. Bob is on oword-winning science
writer ond historion whose work hos oppeored in Noturol
History, the Woll Street Journol, ond Astronomy. His books
include Leoving Eorth: Spoce Stotions, Rivol Superpowersr
ond the Quest for lnterplonetory Trovel ond Genesis: the
Story of Apollo B.
The Hubble Spoce Telescope hos produced the most
stunning imoges of the cosmos humonity hos ever seen.
And in its newly renovoted stote, it continues to omqze the
scientist ond cosuol observer ond hos tronsformed our
understonding of the universe oround us. We know more
obout the ploce we coll home becouse of the new informoiion
provided by Hubble including the oge of the universe
ond its evolution, the life cycle of siors, ond fhe very existence
of block holes.
Bob gove us some outstonding bockground on the ideo
thqt would not die despiie technicol errors ond the heoted
Bob Zimmerman, KBSIWD gives us the heads up look at Hubble,
debotes befween scientists ond bureoucrots. This presentotion
wos perfectly timed with the lost visit to repoir Hubble
before its ultimote demise o few yeors from now.
And then in August we hod o ioint tour with Virginio
Beoch Chopter I l9 to Greenbqnk, West Virginio for o
customized tour of the Notionol Rodio Astronomy
Observotory (NRAO). Founded in .l956, the NRAO provides
stote-of-the-ort rodio telescope focilities for use by the
internotionol scientific community. NRAO telescopes ore
open to oll ostronomers regordless of institutionol or
notionol offiliotion. The NRAO is funded by the Notionol
Science Foundotion (NSF) under the terms of o cooperotive
ogreement between the NSF ond Associoted
Universities, lnc. (AUl), o science monogement corporotion.
During the ioint ACWA Chopter I l9 ond 9l custom
tour, porticiponts leorned how ostronomicol observotions
ot rodio wovelengths ollow scientists to oddress fundomentol
questions obout our Universe such os: When ond how
did goloxies form in the eorly Universe? How do supermossive
block holes form ot the heorts of most goloxies?
How ore stors ond plonets born? There wos olso discussion
of recent ond hopefully increosing sun spot octivity.
Following our tour of NRAO, mony spent the next doy
ot the historic Coss Mountoin Roilrood - olso in West
Virginio. This wos o three-doy event ond q reol winner.
We hope to continue loining forces with other neorby
OCWA Chopters for ioint meetings ond tours in the future.
This first ottempt worked well for us ond we ore so groteful
for the legwork of the leodership of Chopter I l9 in
Virginio Beoch. They mode the ioint effort hoppen.
ln September, we hod our onnuol Chopter Picnic ot the
QTH of our president, Tim Donovon, WA4CLK. About thirty
people ottended including husbonds, wives ond friends.
We ote well, tolked long ond loughed often. lsn't thot
whot o OCWA event is oll obout?
Tim Donovan, WA4CLIL President
QCWA Journal o Winter 2OO9 . w\\\ / qcwa,org