From: LARRY KLAES (ljk4_at_msn.com)
Date: Tue Jan 21 2003 - 06:18:45 PST
This article is also available on the web at:
http://www.spacetoday.net/getsummary.php?id=1426 .
Wildfires destroy Australian observatory
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Posted: Mon, Jan 20 11:39 AM ET (1639 GMT)
Raging brushfires swept through a major Australian
observatory over the weekend, destroying telescopes and
instruments. The fire, part of a series of brushfires
around the Australian capital of Canberra, destroyed the
Mount Stromlo Observatory complex just west of Canberra in a
matter of hours on Saturday. According to the Australian
National University (ANU), which operates the observatory,
all the telescopes and workshops, along with most other
buildings at the complex, were destroyed in the fire. Only
the visitors center and two office buildings, which stored
most of the data collected in recent years, were spared.
Among the items lost in the fires was a A$5 million (US$3
million) imaging spectrograph that had just been completed
for the Gemini North telescope in Hawaii. The destroyed
telescopes, including 1.3-meter and 1.9-meter telescopes,
were being used for a variety of research projects,
including a digital sky survey that had just started earlier
this month. Overall damage was estimated to be A$20 million
(US$12 million). No one affiliated with the observatory was
injured in the fire, although the Canberra wildfires overall
have claimed four lives. ANU officials said they plan to
continue some work performed at the observatory, such as
development of an instrument for the Gemini South telescope
in Chile, using facilities on the ANU campus, and said they
would rebuild the Mount Stromlo observatory facilities.
Officials at the Canberra Deep Space Communications Complex,
one of the three NASA Deep Space Network facilities
worldwide, are also keeping an eye on the wildfires, which
at one point approached the perimeter fence of the complex
before passing.
Related Links:
--------------
Australian National University press release:
http://www.anu.edu.au/fires/media.php
BBC article:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/2676247.stm
Sky and Telescope article:
http://skyandtelescope.com/news/current/article_848_1.asp
Sydney Morning Herald article:
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/01/19/1042911270928.html
New Scientist article:
http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99993281
Visit http://www.spacetoday.net/ to get the latest space
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