The Amateur Astronomers Association of Princeton is set to continue its monthly lectures on Tuesday, January 12, 2016 at 7:30 p.m. in Princeton University’s Peyton Hall.
The meeting will feature guest speaker Frank O’Brien, an expert in spaceflight history, who will present a lecture entitled “Navigating to the moon: A view from the Apollo Guidance Computer.”
O’Brien will discuss the major hardware elements used in the Apollo spacecraft to voyage from the Earth to the Moon and back Home again. The three key components—the computer, inertial platform, and the optics system are presented as an integrated system. The basic questions of spaceflight navigation: Which way is up? Where am I? Where am I going? will build upon one another to show the techniques to navigate to our nearest celestial neighbor. Although the lecture will focus on flights to the Moon, the concepts are applicable for missions throughout the Solar System.
O’Brien has spent the last 20 years working as a contributing editor for NASA’s Apollo Lunar Surface Journal and is co-editor of the Apollo Flight Journal. From this work, he was invited to the Cradle of Aviation Museum on Long Island to assist in their May, 2002 reopening. He prepared a rare Lunar Module Mission Simulator for exhibition, wrote software for the Lunar Module cockpit trainer and prepared an Apollo space suit for the museum’s centerpiece Apollo 11 diorama.
O’Brien’s background on the lunar missions and computing led him to write a well-received book on the Apollo Guidance Computer, and he is now working on a new book on Apollo spacecraft engineering. He is a 1979 graduate of Rutgers University (computer science), and later returned to Rutgers to earn his MBA.
The Amateur Astronomers Association of Princeton is an organization of over 80 members with interest in all aspects of astronomy and space science. Founded in 1962, the AAAP promotes a wide range of astronomy-related activities including: solar, planetary and deep-sky observing, astrophotography, star parties, lectures and education. The group owns and operates two observatories in NJ at Washington Crossing State Park and Jenny Jump State Park. Members include avid observers, armchair investigators and complete novices. All share a common love of the sky.
Complete meeting details and directions can be found at princetonastronomy.org. The association newsletter with information on club activities, is online at princetonastronomy.wordpress.com.
