GMARS Site Development Activities - 2004

GMARS Activities 2006

GMARS Activities 2005

December 11, 2004

This past Saturday -- a beautiful early winter day in the desert -- a small group of RAS volunteers began work on the first observatory at GMARS by leveling a site, setting the forms for wall footings, and creating the base for the telescope pier. The concrete footings will be poured in the next month or so, and a partially prefabricated “SkyShed” roll-off roof observatory will be erected on them several weeks later. If all goes well with this pilot project, five or six more observatories could follow in 2005.

In addition to the work on the footings, the team ran electrical conduit to three future observatory sites and refilled a trench (well, actually, the east half of the trench) that had been open for almost a year. Thanks to Walt Lickteig who continues to lead our projects, and to Charlie Knapke, Bill Coomler, Todd Hansen, Richard Watts, Mike Wardell, and, of course, Smokey Yokum. Special appreciation goes to Alex McConahay who emptied his truck so he could go to the lumber store and buy the planks, concrete and miscellaneous fittings necessary to keep the work going.

As is the case on almost every workday at GMARS, the volunteers moved a ridiculous amount of sand by shovel and wheelbarrow (and a few paid for this industriousness on Sunday with very sore arms and backs). Some of this movement was part of an effort to “feather” the recently built telescope pads, including Capella’s, into the ground around them; the creation of the flattened observatory site and the digging necessary to create the footings also led to more dirt piles. The “excess sand” problem has become a comic theme at GMARS and the good humor associated with it is just one of many ways the RAS volunteers turn the work into fun.

I would like to end this report — the last for 2004 — by extending my heartfelt thanks to all those who have contributed to the incredible progress we have made at GMARS during the past year. Although most of the time we think about the individual projects — upgrading the electrical power and distributing it underground over much of the site, constructing the telescope pads, erecting power posts and the light shield curtain, and so on — it is the sum of the parts that everyone in the RAS can be proud of. GMARS is becoming one of the best venues for amateur astronomy in the western United States not just because of its dark skies, but because RAS members are making it a safe and comfortable place to appreciate the beauty of the universe.

Best wishes to all for the holiday season; I hope to see you out at GMARS in 2005!

Ralph Megna
GMARS “Station Master”

November 13, 2004

In my real world business, you often know you have created a great place for people to either live, work or play in when they want to get their picture taken there.

Well, the RAS 22-inch telescope Capella made its debut on its new superpad at GMARS this past weekend and immediately demonstrated its “star power” by attracting the interest of a local cub scout troop who immediately wanted their picture taken with it. And no wonder — the scope looked great out there in the middle of the observing field!

Congratulations and thanks are in order to all the people who contributed time, talent and energy to the restoration of Capella, and to those who worked on the superpad. While most of the development effort this past year at GMARS has gone into facilities supporting the work of the serious astronomers among us (and there is nothing wrong with that), the Capella project was always understood to be something different. For a few hours on Saturday night, the excited voices of children — and their parents — as they gazed at deep sky objects through our largest telescope reminded us of the importance and power of our mission to bring the awesome beauty of the universe to the public.

Ralph Megna
GMARS “Station Master”

November 6, 2004

In the biggest single pour thus far at GMARS, the RAS “Concrete Club” delivered on a critical element in the project to provide a permanent home for the club’s 22-inch reflector, Capella. Twenty feet in diameter, with a thirteen-foot extension to the north side, the new superpad will literally be the centerpiece for the GMARS observing field.

Walt Lickteig once again engineered the project details, including recessed tracks that will allow the “Dobhouse” to be pushed off of Capella and out of the way for a night’s observing. Larry Salazar and his friend, Damian Miranda, supplied the skill and equipment necessary to finish the concrete pad in a professional fashion. RAS volunteers included Alex McConahay, Barry Sorensen, Bill Coomler, Bob Stephens (thanks for the pictures), Greg Myll, and Smokey Yokum. Gary Nelson provided a terrific lunch of pasta with homemade sauce and RAS President Glenn Malcolm arrived in time pronounce the project a great success and thank all involved.

Word has it that Steve Meyering and the RATs have been making great progress on the Capella restoration and that the scope might make its debut at GMARS as soon as the November star party. See you then!

Ralph Megna
GMARS “Station Master”

October 30, 2004

The Capella superpad is almost ready to pour next Saturday. Thanks to Walt Lickteig for getting the materials and directing the crew that worked on the forms for the pad, including Alex McConahay, Charle Knapke, Bob Stephens (thanks for photo), Allen and Eric Hwang, and, of course, Smokey.

Next Saturday, November 6th, the concrete truck is scheduled for 8:30 AM, but there is some additional prep work that is expected to take place on Friday and in the early morning. If you plan to participate in the pour, remember your boots and shovel. If we get a good turnout, there may be an effort to get the conduit put in the trench against fence and — gasp! -- the trench filled in.

Lunch on Saturday is courtesy of Gary Nelson, who is making some of his vaunted spaghetti.

One last astronomical note: This Thursday, Friday and Saturday morning (4th, 5th & 6th), Jupiter and Venus are going to be spectacularly placed in the morning sky and will close to within a moon-width of each other. If the weather is good, Friday night and Saturday morning should offer beautiful views, with Saturn also in the sky, along with a waning crescent moon. I’ll make sure there is lots of coffee and breakfast food for those who come out to GMARS early for the celestial show.

Ralph Megna
GMARS “Station Master”

October 2, 2004

An intrepid team of RAS volunteers put in one heck of a day of work this past Saturday at GMARS and completed several important projects.

Installation of four public power posts on the observing field. These quadplex GFI-protected outlets will be available to users on a first-come, first served basis at each star party. The outlets are not intended to provide electricity for RVs, but should be a great convenience to those (including Ashley) who need to power a telescope and a few electronic accessories.

Cleared the observing field of weeds. Everything looks good for this weekend’s star party.

Stripped the tile off the kitchen floor. This is the first step towards installing a new floor.

I want to extend my personal thanks to everyone who participated on Saturday. The day went somewhat longer than originally expected and it involved a lot of very physical work. Ironically, it seems like the harder we work, the less of it shows — we dug about 200 feet of trenches, installed conduit, wire, steel, and concrete, and then filled them back in with dirt. I know many of us went home with sore backs and aching muscles. Among our volunteers were Bill Lennartz, Charlie Knapke, Alex McConahay, Walt Lickteig, Bob Stephens, Barry Sorensen, Greg Myll, Gary Nelson, and John Lord. Teri Denson also came with salad, and two amazing desserts, that were much appreciated at lunchtime and again at dinner.

Finally, while the Capella superpad took a backseat to the other projects, it is still on track to a November pour date. We did agree on a location (that avoided having to dig out a large bush), set an electrical vault that will be flush with the pad surface, and got a fix on true north for its orientation.

Ralph Megna
GMARS “Station Master”

June 5, 2004

Phase One Electrical Work & First Ten Observing Pads Complete at GMARS!!

Just as the first truly hot days of summer arrived at Landers, an intrepid band of RAS volunteers finished the last two telescope pads at the Goat Mountain Astronomical Research Station and celebrated the completion of the Phase One improvements to the RAS dark sky observing site.

The June 5th work party brings to a close the development activities at GMARS until the fall. In the five short months since work began in late December we have:

Upgraded the site’s electrical power to 400 amps
Installed a 200 amp field panel
Dug almost a thousand feet of trenches for underground electrical conduit
Pulled over a mile of wire
Erected a combination of power posts & light shield supports stretching 150 feet across the observing field
Installed fourteen GFI-protected outdoor duplex outlets
Poured over 500 cubic feet of concrete
Constructed ten observing pads, two with pier footings weighing more than 3000 lbs each
Cleaned out the garage and installed new lighting

I cannot say enough good things about the people who contributed their time, energy and tools to these projects. For most, volunteering for a work party meant three hours of roundtrip travel from home in addition to the hours spent on Saturdays (and sometimes on Fridays and Sundays) on-site. Since the beginning of the year, many of the most consistent volunteers (the “usual suspects”) have been at GMARS more than a dozen times with the primary purpose of working. The weather was frequently miserable, but the projects went on — not a single day of activity was cancelled due to climate or attendance. On the final day of work — with temperatures approaching 100 degrees -- the volunteers included:

Walt Lickteig (chief of concrete stuff)
Bill Lennartz (chief of electrical stuff)
Larry Salazar (invaluable source of concrete finishing equipment and expertise)
Smokey Yokum (unofficial superintendent)
Charlie Knapke (tireless worker)
Bill Coomler (another tireless worker)
Teri Denison (provider of great salads and cakes, chief of inside-the-house stuff)

Although some small projects are likely to be undertaken (especially if they are indoors, such as the kitchen floor) between now and the fall, the next official work party won’t take place until October. If all goes well, that work party will probably be used to construct a huge circular observing pad for the club’s 22-inch Dobsonian telescope, Capella, so it can be more readily used at star parties. October also marks the official return of the star parties to GMARS (after a summer spent at cooler “away” sites).

Again, my heartfelt thanks to everyone who contributed to the success of the Phase One projects. I believe that we are well on our way to creating one of the finest amateur astronomical venues in the western United States.

Ralph Megna
GMARS Director (aka “Station Master”)

May 1, 2004

The RAS had a great work party at GMARS this weekend. Some of the highlights include:

We poured and finished four more telescope pads and one pier footing. After months of work on infrastructure that has been buried underground, it is a real pleasure to see the improvements take shape on the surface. Once again, Walt Lickteig and Larry Salazar did a great job leading the pours.

Early morning risers on both Saturday and Sunday mornings were treated to the sight of a very nice telescopic comet rising above Goat Mountain. Most observers estimated Comet Bradford’s tail to be 5 to 7 degrees long.

Teri Denson delivered spectacularly on her commitment to provide lunch for everyone and bring along her wonderful new Coronado solar H-alpha telescope. Even the concrete truck driver wanted a look.

The garage is now a safe place to enter thanks to Alex McConahay’s passion for order. A lot of stuff was thrown away or carted off; other things were readied for sale at RTMC. Not only can you now walk around in the garage, but thanks to some lights and other electrical improvements made a few weeks ago by Bill Lennartz, you can see in there, too.

Let me take this opportunity to thank Charlie Knapke, Bill Coomler, Barry Sorensen, and Smokey Yokum — these guys have participated in just about every work party this year and, once again this past Saturday, provided the energy and enthusiasm necessary for transforming GMARS into this region’s best dark sky observing site. I also want to express appreciation to Bob Stephens who, now that tax season is over, has not only joined our work crews, but took the pictures for this report.

By the way, congratulations to the RAS Outreach team, led by Al Fink, whose efforts at UCR on Saturday made the front page of the local section of the Press Enterprise.

Ralph Megna
GMARS Site Director

April 10, 2004

Under sunny skies and amid a spectacular wildflower display, the GMARS development team used this past Saturday to pour and finish the first telescope pads on the north edge of the observing field. The “usual suspects” led by concrete project leader Walt Lickteig, and with the invaluable help of Larry Salazar, enjoyed nearly perfect weather as they made quick work of the pour and initial leveling of the pads — from the arrival of the concrete truck to its departure took less than an hour!

For the next several hours, as the concrete began to set, Larry and Walt undertook the finish work, carefully smoothing and edging the four 10x12 pads — a job made easier by the professional power tools brought by Larry. Each pad then received a broom-finish texture and the final product was truly impressive. In the words of one observer, “I didn’t know we were going to have something this nice out here.” The team celebrated the completion of the work with pizza and sodas in the clubhouse kitchen.

One aspect of the day that wasn’t perfect involved the concrete truck. Despite our efforts to limit the size of the delivery vehicle, the company sent a 10-yard truck and it carved some pretty serious ruts in the soft sand driveways, especially at every location where it turned. While we will continue to try to have concrete delivered in the smallest possible trucks, it is apparent that we will need to level and recompact the driving areas once the current round of construction is completed. This experience also suggests that we may need to consider applying crushed rock in some locations to slow down the erosion of the driving surface, as well as to reduce dust.

More GMARS Wildflowers

At this time, there are no plans to use the upcoming star party weekend to work on GMARS development projects. The next scheduled work party is Saturday, May 1st.

Ralph Megna
GMARS Site Director