[asapmembers] URGENT ACTION for the December 1 Commemoration of the Arecibo Telescope Collapse

[secretary at areciboscience.org]

Dear Colleagues,
	ASAP is planning a number of events and actions to commemorate the tragic collapse 
of the Arecibo Telescope on December 1, 2020.  One is outlined below, but each of you has 
a crucial role in this uniquely important commemoration:  What does Arecibo Mean to You?

	Please take your own part in our Arecibo Community commemoration.

	Just take a few minutes to speak about What Arecibo Means to You in a 30-second
video expressing your own thoughts and feelings.  Everyone’s voice is needed to support 
each other in commemorating the past and presaging the future.   
 	 
	And it is easy!  One way to do it—
     —turn on zoom
     —make sure your camera and audio is on and your face well lighted
     —push the record button
     —speak about What Arecibo Means to You for 30 seconds or so, surely 
		less than a minute.  English, Spanish or both.  Give you name (or 
		not) while speaking.
     —stop the recording and download the mp4 file on your computer
     —label the file with your name and upload it to the Google Drive <https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/16_4dhK0s7E_3WDqmeBCX4NbnDvJ-4nGH?usp=sharing> for our videos
		

	THANK YOU!

	On December 1, Prof. Don Campbell, former NAIC Director and author of a history of the 
Observatory, will give the keynote talk entitled 
    "Celebrating the William E. Gordon 305 m Telescope: Its History and Scientific Achievements"

Abstract:
This first anniversary of the shocking collapse of the William E. Gordon Telescope is an opportunity to reflect on 
the history of the telescope itself, its amazing scientific achievements and the people who made it all possible.  
In May 1958 William (Bill) Gordon gave a seminar in the School of Electrical Engineering at Cornell University 
in which he outlined the specifications of an antenna and radar system that would be capable of measuring the 
electron distribution with height and other properties of the Earth's ionosphere. He also pointed out that the radar 
system would be capable of studies of the Sun and nearby planets and that the antenna would also contribute 
to the then still new field of radio astronomy. Over the next five and a bit years, Gordon and a small group of 
engineers and scientists turned the idea into reality with the completion of the Arecibo telescope in November 
1963. The talk will cover the telescope design and construction, some early science successes, the first upgrade 
of the telescope in the early 1970s, some of the science that this allowed, the second "Gregorian" upgrade in the 
1990s and, again, some of the resulting achievements. A large number of talented and dedicated scientists, 
engineers and, yes, administrators contributed to the construction of the telescope, to the multiple telescope 
and instrument upgrades and to the success of the scientific programs. 

	Please reserve the Dec. 1 date.  TImes, links and other information will be sent closer to the date.
		Best regards and wishes,
			ASAP Secretary


 


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