Activities planned for the five day event, which began Tuesday, include trips to the Magdalena Ridge Observatory, White Sands Missile Range, and the El Camino Real International Heritage Center.
This year the Enchanted Skies Star Party is bringing NASA astronaut John Grunsfeld to deliver the keynote address, open to the public at 7 p.m. Friday at the Fidel Center ballroom on the third floor.
Grunsfeld is no stranger to Socorro and the National Radio Astronomy Observatory, having done research at the Very Large Array, and in 2002, carried a logo flag of the NRAO aboard Space Shuttle Columbia, returning that flag to Socorro following the flight.
Besides the VLA, Grunsfeld has used the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory, X-ray astronomy satellites, and optical telescopes, including Hubble, in his research in X-ray and gamma-ray astronomy, high-energy cosmic rays, and work on new detectors and instrumentation.
Grunsfeld has been with NASA since 1992, and made his first of five Shuttle flights in 1995. He has also been Chief of the Computer Support Branch of the Astronaut Office, Chief of the Extravehicular Activity Branch, and NASA Chief Scientist.
Grunsfeld completed the final servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope in May. He is an astrophysicist and veteran of five Space Shuttle flights, three of them servicing missions to Hubble. He has logged more than 58 days in space and nearly 59 hours in space walks.
Grunsfeld will deliver his address Friday, Oct. 16 at 7 p.m.
Organizers say the Star Party offers a unique Southwestern Astronomy experience. With many exciting features, the four day event includes a unique opportunity for a night of observing at an elevation of 10,600 feet.
Dark sky observing, astronomy workshops, door prizes, lectures, and insider tours of the Very Large Array and the Magdalena Ridge Observatory fill the five day schedule.
Nightly observing, lectures, and camping will take place at the Etscorn Campus Observatory and at the official “Dark Sky Site,” the El Camino Real International Heritage Center, 30 miles south of Socorro.
Saturday beginning at 5 p.m. is the chuck-wagon dinner at El Camino Real International Heritage Center. Southwestern music will be performed live by Doug Figgs. Following dinner at 7 p.m. is the campfire lecture “Sky Stories of Ancient America,” presented by G. B. Cornucopia, of the U.S. National Park Service.
The Enchanted Skies Star Party is sponsored by the New Mexico Tech Astronomy Club, the National Radio Astronomy Observatory, the City of Socorro, the Magdalena Ridge Observatory, New Mexico Tech, The El Camino Real International Heritage Center, and New Mexico State Monuments.
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