Weber State College Comment, WSC Director John Williams a a Boston Pops to perform on August 2 july 1759, Page 3 returns to space with new satellite Weber State will again join the space age with the October launch of a satellite no bigger than a bread box from a French Guiana rocket. WEBERSAT is currently en route to French Guiana where it will be loaded onto an Ariane rocket ship and readied for liftoff set for mid October, said Robert Twiggs, director of Weber State’s Center for Aerospace Technology (CAST). “The sophistication of this satellite is considerably more than NUSAT I, and the capabilities of this satellite are two to three times more than that first one,” Twiggs said. NUSAT I was the college’s and the nation’s first small satellite and was launched in 1985. Unlike the first effort, this newest satellite was built completely at Weber State and has an expected life span of five to 10 years, as opposed to NUSAT I’s orbit life of 18 months. “The total cost for this satellite was $150,000. We could build a second one for about $75,000,” Twiggs said. The college built the satellite as part of a deal struck with AMSAT, a world-wide, non-profit ham radio organization headquartered in Washington, D.C. AMSAT officials contracted with the college to build satellites for them—one for the U.S. group, one for AMSAT in Brazil and one in Argentina—and as part of the deal Weber State could build a fourth satellite of its own to be launched aboard the French rocket, Twiggs said. “AMSAT developed the concept and design, and we machined the parts,” he said. AMSAT plans to use their three orbiters as communications satellites, but the WSC model includes more than the L-band receiver for radio transmissions, Twiggs said. ; “We have what the other satellites have in terms of communications ability, plus we have a video camera that can take pictures of the earth or of space,” he said. Ground controllers in the CAST offices will have little control over where the satellite is pointing, but since WEBERSAT will be in a polar orbit magnets were mounted on the orb to interact with the earth’s magnetic field and give Weber State technicians some ability to manuever the satellite, he said. The satellite has an on-board computer that gives it the ability to store information and video images received both from the camera or from the ground, Twiggs said. “With satellites used for television the images are sent up and relayed right back down to the earth. Those satellites are in the $50 million category, and it takes expensive equipment on earth to decode the messages. With our satellite all you need is a $100 antenna and a computer,” he said. Plus, the Weber State satellite has the ability to store information to be retrieved later making it possible for someone in Ogden to send up a video picture to the satellite, that 45 minutes later someone in, say China, he said. “I don’t know of anyone else who’s trying to transfer information this way,” Twiggs said. In addition to the video camera, the satellite will also carry a light spectrometer to measure the thickness of the ozone layer as well as experiments from Brighton High in Salt Lake City and Bonneville High in Ogden, he said. “This is an exciting opportunity for us, and we’re glad to be back in space,” Twiggs said. The Boston Pops, one of America's leading orchestras, will be on campus in concert Aug. 2 in what officials are saying SATELLITE is a “once in a lifetime” presentation. The exclusive Utah performance will be under the baton of John Williams and will begin at 8 p.m. in the Dee Events Center. “We’re thrilled that the Boston Pops would come to Weber State as a kind of closing concert for the centennial year,” said Daniel L. Martino, director of Weber State’s Office of Cultural Affairs, which is sponsoring the event. The Boston Pops began in 1881 as a proposal for “concerts of a lighter kind of music.” The idea, even though it was originated in a city that had a reputation of sobriety in music, was an immediate success. The orchestra has a number of bestselling recordings to their credit, including “Pops Out of This World,” “That’s Entertainment (Pops on Broadway),” “Pops Around the World,” “With a Song in My Heart,” and many others. They have performed throughout the United States, and have a continuously running radio and television program. Williams, the current conductor, follows such notables as Arthur Fiedler and Harry Ellis Dickson. He joined the orchestra in 1980 as the 19th conductor. He has composed the music and served as music director for more than 65 films, including “The Accidental Tourist,” “Empire of the Sun,” “The Witches of Eastwick,” “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom,” “Return of the Jedi,” “E.T The Extra-Terrestrial,” “Superman,” “Star Wars,” “Jaws,” and others. He has received 24 Academy Award nominations and has been awarded four Oscars and 15 Grammies. He also has several gold and platinum records. The Boston Pop’s performance at Weber State is part of an 11-city national tour, sponsored by MCI. Concert appearances will be in Virginia, New Jersey, South Carolina, Texas, Ohio, Michigan, Colorado, Oregon, California and Ogden. continued from page 1 Tickets for the evening are $10-$30 and are available at the Dee Events Center Ticket Office. Credit card calls are accepted at (801) 626-8500. “This is truly a once-in-a-life time opportunity for most of us in this area. It would be a shame to miss one of the great orchestras of the country,” Martino said. The cost for the flight model, complete with solar panels and internal components is estimated at $1.5 million, Twiggs said. “For AMSAT to tie in with Weber State for a program of this size is phenomenal,” said Dick Jessen, an AMSAT official who visited the unveiling ceremony. A total of 16 students worked on the satellite, donating a minimum of 300 man hours each, and in the end the college has produced a very flyable craft, Twiggs said. “The Ariane rockets have to have a certain weight to fly, and if they do not have enough payload they have to add ballast. So we say, let’s take the lead out and we’ll fly a satellite,” he said. Dick Jessen, Assistant Vice President for Engineering for AMSAT (left) and WSC President Stephen D. Nadauld (right) discuss an eight-foot satellite recently built by the college. Centennial showcased By Sharon excellence C. Young Chairperson, WSC Centennial Celebration Throughout the country there are institutions of higher learning that are committed to education. They have highly qualified faculty and staff, proficient administrators, ambitious students etc., etc. All the qualities that are expected and normal. For a number of years I thought Weber State College fell into this norm. I was very naive. During the past three years Ihave had the distinct pleasure of learning — first hand —how much above the norm WSC is. [have gained a new appreciation of what it has taken to make WSC what it is today and what it will take to allow it to persevere. For the past year I have had the honor of sharing this knowledge. The celebration of our Centennial has provided both opportunities to me. The admiration and respect that I have gained for this institution and for all the kind , loving, generous individuals it represents, has left me quite speechless. By providing for the Centennial Celebration, our Administration hoped to create an expanded awareness on campus and in the community... an awareness of the quality education and cultural experience we provide, of the professionalism we stand for. They were able to provide the opportunity, but the success of the celebration was dependent on the support of faculty, staff, students, alumni and community. The initial plans were drawn, committees formed, and the work began. Daily we saw the momentum grow and spread. The events were.scheduled and activities planned, the logo appeared on everything from menus to programs, from t-shirts to flags. The enthusiasm was contagious—we were off and running. The results are self evident. Virtually every aspect of campus life has been represented during the course of the celebration. | Everyone involved has seemed to sense the impact of their endeavors both individually and collectively. They are proud of the celebration and the institution it represents. Because of the dedication and generosity of hundreds of people, Weber State College has had a celebration of a century, a celebration fitting our distinguished and unique history—a celebration that you can be proud of. From the bottom of my heart—to all of you who planned, worked, contributed time and money, and to those who took advantage of and enjoyed our celebration—-THANK YOU. Ode to ‘¢ birds Seven birds which are common to the Weber State College campus are featured on a plaque which was placed on an island near the Ada Lindquist Fountain and Plaza April 21. The plaque bears the likenesses of the Mallard, House Sparrow, European Starling, California Gull, Robin, and the Barn Swallow. It also tells a little about each bird. The area around the plaque has also been landscaped and a bench installed so that visitors may rest and enjoy the surroundings.