General Meeting: February 2023

ASSA monthly meetings are held in-person and are open to the general public.

Attend In-Person: Click here for Tickets. Theatre tickets are only required if you wish to attend this meeting in-person. Tickets are FREE and can be obtained online via Eventbrite. Please cancel your tickets if you are unable to attend in-person.

Finding the Venue: The Braggs LT entrance faces the Barr Smith Lawns and is located at E10 on the map.

Watch Live Online: (no ticket required): YouTube or Facebook. Please Subscribe to the ASSA YouTube channel and turn ON Notifications to be instantly notified of our live broadcasts.

Meeting Agenda:

• How Australia secured a box seat in the age of space exploration by Dr. Owen Mace
• Announcements & Upcoming Events
• Close at 9:30pm

OSCAR Australis - How Australia secured a box seat in the age of space exploration

Speaker: Dr. Owen Mace

Abstract: Why did a group of 1960s University of Melbourne students build a satellite while they should have been studying and enjoying themselves? Was it the first Australian satellite? What was its purpose and what did it do? Did it work? How was it significant? What did it have to do with the event on 4 October 1957? Where did it lead and what were the lessons from it? Owen will reveal the story of the Australis OSCAR 5 student satellite, replete with his conspiracy theory and amusing incidents.

Bio: Owen gained a Bachelor of Engineering (Electrical) with honours at the University of Melbourne. Following graduation, he joined the Physics RAAF Department of the University for his PhD in balloon-borne astronomy followed by a post-doctorate year in the Physics Department at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. He moved with the Department to join the Australian Defence Force Academy in Canberra in 1986. Owen's next move was to Adelaide as research and development manager for British Aerospace Australia. Finally, he joined Aspect Computing where he was responsible for starting its defence business. His best job - combining electronics, software and aeroplanes. Owen's contribution to astronomy was as part of the team that extended the known spectrum of the Crab and Vela pulsars into the gamma ray region (100 MeV to a couple of GeV) and reversing the direction of RA on a chart.

#science #astronomy #space #Adelaide #southaustralia

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