Best astro-things to do on holiday in the US

[blairhopkins]

Calling all seasoned travellers & dreamers

I'm planning to go to the US for a 4-5 week holiday in Nov-Dec, and looking for some ideas & advice.

Given I'm 34 and have had a lifelong passion for things spacey, I want the trip to be dedicated to experiencing some of those things that I have only been able to gaze upon with wonder from afar. My (very understanding) partner S is graciously letting me travel on my own :thumbsup:, so I want to make most of revelling in space stuff while I can.

One thing definitely planned is to be at the Cape on Dec 6 for the Atlantis launch. What I'd really like to hear is what obvious & not so obvious astro-places you would recommend to go / see / do etc anywhere on the North American continent.

Thanks!
Blair

[Rob_K]

Ahhhh, Mt Palomar....:D

http://www.astro.caltech.edu/palomar/ (http://www.astro.caltech.edu/palomar/)
http://www.astro.caltech.edu/palomar/history/ (http://www.astro.caltech.edu/palomar/history/)

Cheers -

[OneOfOne]

Washington: go to the Air and Space Museum. They have an actual piece of Moon rock that you can touch! When I was there about 1992 they had a mock up of the skylab, lots of rockets etc. They also have the command module from one of the Apollo missions. I spent a whole day there.

Of course the Cape. You can take a bus tour around the launch pad etc. I made a big mistake though. The bus is double decker, the top has a glass roof. So I got in the bottom, I wanted to be the first out when we got to the pad so I could have a look around. Unfortunately, you just drive around the pad so I just got to see the cars driving around while the others could look up at the shuttle. The Atlantis was actually on the launch pad (they took it in the next day with a problem with a pump, hasn't changed much has it). The tour shows you a lot of things at the cape. Also they have a Saturn 5 lying on its side...this is the most ginormous, humungous thing I have ever seen in my life!

Of course, if you are going to Hawaii go to the big island and take a trip up to the scopes at the summit.

Not quite astro, but if you find yourself in Vegas, take the Star Trek ride at the Hilton (even my wife loved this one).

That's about all the "astro" stuff I have managed to do so far. I was hoping to go on the Sky & Telescope astro cruise from LA to Hawaii later this year, but time and money just wont fit it in:sadeyes:

[blairhopkins]

Rob_K - Palomar is a definite - thanks for the links. The 'behind the glass' tours on offer are April to October, so I may miss that...:doh:

OneOfOne - thanks for the advice on the Cape - this is the sort of advice that is worth its weight in gold. Is KSC a single day exercise, or is it big enough to spend two days exploring? I couldn't find the cruise on Google - do you have a link for this?

Cheers

[beren]

Apart from the obvious Nasa/observatory locations have you tried looking at US astronomical society websites and seeing if any events they may run may line up when you visit an area in the USA. One example if your into the outdoors is Yosemite valley {Yosemite national park-California} at Glacier point, a congregation area for amateurs astronomers http://photo.whiteoaks.com/2006-07-21-yosemite/index.html

[wavelandscott]

The Cape Kennedy would be tough to see in it's entirety in a single day depending on how many tours/attractions you want to see.

The visitor center has been recently "upgraded" to include a new shuttle ride simulator...there are also "astronaut" camps and such in the area. I think it is called the "Astronaut hall of fame"

Hit their website hard and identify the stuff you want to see in advance...it will definately help you plan your time there.

Depending on how participative you want to be, you could easily spend a couple of days there. If you are targeting a launch date make sure you have a ticket well in advance...

Speaking of other "space/astronomy related" things to see...I understand that Houston also has some astro tours...

The Air and Space Musuem is a gem...

Also many of the bigger towns will have planetariums/museums galore...for instance the Adler Planetarium in Chicago is a glorious thing to see.

There are many many places to see and too many to see in a single trip.

Good Luck!

[OneOfOne]

If you search the forum for "Hawaii cruise" you will get a thread I posted a few months ago (sorry, I haven't worked out how to insert a link to a thread :( ). Basically, it is run through Sky & Telescope, but I don't recall an ad in the current issue. Maybe you can find something on their website now, or drop them an email? I hope to see the cape again some time, loved it! I only had about 5 hours there as it was one of the places of call on a 31 day Contiki tour I did from NY to LA (loved that too!).

[erick]

I enjoyed a day at Houston's Johnson Space Centre, back in the mid 90s.

http://www.spacecenter.org/NasaTour.html

and wished I had a whole day for the Air & Space museum in Washington.

They have the Apollo 13 Command Module:-

http://www.nasm.si.edu/research/dsh/artifacts/HS-Apollo13Capsule.htm

[OneOfOne]

What I found so remarkable was how TINY it is! Obviously baked beans were not on the menu for the trip! Unless you were allowed to wind the window down, which would have cleared the air pretty quickly.:lol:

[seeker372011]

If I were to travel to the US I would try and make it to Kitts Peak

http://www.noao.edu/kpno/

and if I were in the Chicago area:

http://www.adlerplanetarium.org/

and if I were in Hawaii I'd make sure to visit

http://www.ifa.hawaii.edu/mko/

Also its worth checking the US Sky and Telescope or Astronomy and there may be a star party happening somewhere close to where you are going to be..

Its really sad I' ve been to the US about 25 times and never managed a visit to any really interesting place -other than the National AeroSpace (Smithsonian) in Washington DC which is really a great day out as someone has already pointed out above.

[seeker372011]

oh and a couple more on my list for when-if -i ever visit the US again which may be of interest if you are going to be in the area
McDonald
http://www.as.utexas.edu/mcdonald/mcdonald.html
Caltech
http://www.astro.caltech.edu/palomar/

[astroron]

There is also the Lowell Observatory at Flagstaff north of Pheonix Arazona and the Barranger Meteor crater about 30 miles away from Flagstaff.
Just a point it is getting on for winter in those months so some of the events may not be availble that have been mentioned on this thread.

[blairhopkins]

Thanks everyone - there are some good ideas there :thumbsup:

I'm thinking a couple of weeks road-trip across the southern states might be a good way to see a lot of those places - as well as getting in the grand canyon etc on the way.

Astroron - you are right about the winter shutdown of some places (like the palomar tour), but them's the breaks with getting time of work I guess!

[circumpolar]

Just look up man:astron:

NORTHERN HEMISPHERE SKY !!!

Just think of all those fresh looking constellations you now have to recognise. And the ones that you remember from your home sky that are visiable are now upside down! Even the moon.

[gary]

Hi Blair,

That sounds like a wonderful plan.

There are so many places to visit and so many things to do in that
part of the world.

Last month I had an opportunity to visit the McDonald Observatory in
the Davis Mountains, only a few hours drive east of El Paso and not far
from the Mexican border.

Certainly a tour of the Southwest is highly recommended and you can combine
sightseeing with astronomy. For example, apart from the Lowell Observatory
at Flagstaff there is the VLA in Socorro, New Mexico.

However, something I really recommend is hooking up with some fellow
U.S. amateurs and doing some observing. You can simply post a request
on a forum, drop-in on a star party somewhere or email someone like
me and we should be able to hook you up with some U.S. amateurs.
I know fellow IceInspace members Andrew Murrell and John Bambury
will agree that you haven't lived until you get to see M51 through at least
36" of aperture. :)

And when in the Southwest, be sure to visit Canyon de Chelly and Chaco
Canyon or come back and kick yourself later. For example, at Chaco
there is an opportunity to observe there through a 25" Obsession if
you plan ahead. Again, drop me an email and we can possibly hook you up
with some fellow amateurs.

You are in for a treat!

By the way, some pictures I took of some scenery in the Southwest can be
found here -
http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=21095
and some pictures taken at the McDonald Observatory are attached.

Best regards

Gary Kopff
Mt. Kuring-Gai

[gary]

Oh, and don't forget the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.

Best Regards

Gary