| OCR Text |
Show Science Fair Two 1970. winners of the Western Colorado Science Fair visited White Sands Missile Range and other points of interest in the WSMR area last week. Chris Abseck, 18, Paonia, Colo., in the senior division, and Greg Hauser, 14, Montrose, Colo., in the junior division, were winners in the annual event held last spring at Mesa College in Grand Junction, As one of their rewards, they were invited to visit WSMR during the post's 25th anniversary celebration as guests of the U. S. Army. They arrived at WSMR Wednesday afternoon, July 8, and departed Saturday morning, July 11. Chris is the son of Mr. and Mrs. George Abseck of Paonia High School. He plans to attend the University of Colorado at Boulder starting in September. Greg is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Ray Hauser. He has lived in the Montrose area all his life and will be a sophomore next school year at Montrose High School. Intensely interested in astronomy, Chris won the senior division of the science fair with a project titled "Creation of the Solar System." Some four years ago, he designed and built his own telescope, which he has used for planetary nebulae observations and research. The 8-inch-diameter Newtonian instrument, with an 84-inch focal length, is one of the largest telescopes in western Colorado. Chris is a member of the Edelweiss mountain rescue organization. At Paonia High School he was a member of the National Honor Society and the National Thespians. Greg Hauser's winning project was titled "Crystal Behavior in a Ferromagnetic Substance." He is interested in forestry as well as metallurgy. Standing well over six feet at the age of 14, he plans to play basketball in high school and college. Arrangements for the visit were made by the WSMR Information Office. Assisting was J. E. Durrenberger, active member of the Astronomical Society of Las Cruces and an employe of the Optics Project of Plant Engineering Directorate, National Range Engineering, WSMR. In addition to visiting facilities on the main post and in the launching area, and attending anniversary events at WSMR, the young scientists toured three observatories in the area and were conducted on tours of the Physical Science Laboratory, the Research Department and the Astronomy Department at New Mexico State University. At the Corralitos Observatory, operated by Northwestern University of Evanston, 111., and located 25 miles west of Las Cruces, their tour was led by J. R. Dunlap, director. At PSL, tours and briefings were given by George Hackler, assistant to the director, and Walter Haas, director of the laboratory's computer facilities. A tour of the Research Center and the Department of Astronomy at NMSU was led by Dr. James Cuffey, head of the Astronomy Department. During this tour the science fair winners visited with Dr. Clyde W. Tombaugh, discoverer of the planet Pluto, former employe of (Continued on Page 3) Science Fair (Continued from Page 1) WSMR and now a professor and director of planetary astronomy at NMSU. On the final day of their visit, Chris Abseck and Greg Hauser toured two large observatories in the C louder oft area and the White Sands National Monument. At the Sacramento Peak Observatory at Sunspot, N.M., operated by the U. S. Air Force Cambridge Research Laboratories of Bedford, Mass., the tour was arranged by Dr. John Evans, director, and Robert B. Hunter, assistant to the director. Detailed briefings and demonstrations were given by Howard L. DeMastus, astronomer. At the USAF Electro-Optical Surveillance Research Facility near C louder oft, operated by Wright-Patterson AFB of Dayton, Ohio, with support from Holloman AFB, the tour was led by Director Edmund T. Tyson. Operation of the facility's 48-inch-diameter Newtonian telescope, the only one of its kind in the world, was demonstrated. Assisting with arrangements for the visit, in addition to Mr. Durrenberger, were the WSMR Visitors Bureau, Administration Office, Finance and Accounting Office and Transportation Directorate. |
