ATNF Media Releases 1999

13 Oct 1999

Telescope of the future may be 'eggs on legs'

Astronomers are planning the world's largest radio telescope for the next millenium and it could be built in Western Australia, says the Director of CSIRO's Australia Telescope National Facility, Professor Ron Ekers.
The new telescope could look like an army of 'eggs on legs'. Professor Ekers will outline the concept today in the 15th annual Brodie-Hall Address, a free public talk at 8pm today (13 October) at the City West Function Centre in Perth.
If Australia is chosen to host the telescope it will have huge financial and scientific benefits.

More Information:

Prof Ron D Ekers, Director, Australia Telescope National Facility
Email: rekers@atnf.csiro.au
Tel: +61 2 9372 4300
Fax: +61 2 9372 4310

Helen Sim, Communications Manager, CSIRO Australia Telescope National Facility
Email: hsim@atnf.csiro.au
Tel: +61 2 9372 4251
Fax: +61 2 9372 4444

16 Jul 1999

CSIRO's ROLE IN FIRST MOON LANDING

It was one great step for mankind, and it was taken at 12.56 pm on 21 July, Aust ralian Eastern Time, just 30 years ago.
"Eight minutes after the broadcast started the Moon had risen into the Parkes t elescope's full field of view. Parkes was a much larger dish than Honeysuckle, c aptured more signal and so produced better pictures," says Dr Reynolds.
"Houston switched to Parkes and remained with those pictures for the rest of the two-and-a-half hour broadcast. Using a less sensitive 'off-axis' detector Parke s had also seen the 'first step' six minutes earlier, but those pictures were of lower quality and were not broadcast internationally."

More Information:
Dr John Reynolds, Officer-in-Charge, CSIRO Parkes Observatory
Tel: (02) 6861 1700
Mr John Sarkissian, CSIRO Parkes Observatory
Tel: (02) 6861 1745 or (02) 6863 4848
Mr Darren Osborne, Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex (Tidbinbilla)
Tel: (02) 6201 7838
Mr Mike Dinn
Tel: (02) 6281 4877
Former Director, Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex (Tidbinbilla);
ran Honeysuckle Creek Manned Flight Tracking Station for Apollo missions,
1967-1971
Mr Neil Mason
Tel: (02) 6862 2439
Dr Miriam Baltuck, NASA representative in Australia
Tel: (02) 6281 8501
Historic betacam footage of Apollo preparations at Parkes available.
Helen Sim, Communications Manager, CSIRO Australia Telescope National Facility
Email: hsim@atnf.csiro.au
Tel: +61 2 9372 4251
Fax: +61 2 9372 4444

21 Jan 1999

DISCOVERER OF "COSMIC COMPASS" IS
YOUNG AUSTRALIAN OF THE YEAR

Astronomer Bryan Gaensler has been named Young Australian of the Year, the Acting Prime Minister, Tim Fischer announced today.

Dr Gaensler was jointly supervised by CSIRO and the University of Sydney, and used CSIRO's Australia Telescope for his recent PhD thesis, which was on how the debris of exploding stars expands into space.

General public relations enquiries should be directed to:

Helen Sim (hsim@atnf.csiro.au) --- Phone: +61 (0) 2 9372 4251, Fax: +61 (0)2 9372 4310

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