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Equipment Discussions >> Cats & Casses

Pages: 1

iceblaze
Pooh-Bah

Reged: 10/15/11

Loc: 33.9° N, 118.4° W Lawndale, CA

I have one of those!!! COOL!
#5637703 - 01/22/13 08:44 PM

Not sure if you guys already covered this, but check out this story. I sure hope those optics were triple checked/star tested before they sent it over. I wonder if Celestron covered shipping? What's the return policy for something like that?

-James

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ewave
scholastic sledgehammer

Reged: 05/16/09

Loc: northwest NJ

Re: I have one of those!!! COOL! new

[Re: iceblaze]
#5637817 - 01/22/13 09:33 PM

heck yeah, or nocked out of collimation just from liftoff .. how many g's was that?

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Asbytec
Guy in a furry hat

Reged: 08/08/07

Loc: La Union, PI

Re: I have one of those!!! COOL! new

[Re: ewave]
#5638050 - 01/22/13 11:50 PM

Great! More bloggers from space asking about collimation. Wonder how well the GPS and EQ fork mount will work.

Man, wonder what research paper someone did to justify bringing "his" scope into space. I am drafting one now, would love to have my 6" MCT on that platform (looking into space, though.)

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core
scholastic sledgehammer

Reged: 02/23/08

Loc: Mostly in Norman, OK

Re: I have one of those!!! COOL! new

[Re: iceblaze]
#5638117 - 01/23/13 12:39 AM

There were one or two threads on CN with regards to the scope prior to it being launched and installed, iirc. fwiw it's operating in fast-star mode, pointed down to earth. A couple of links with larger pics of the setup:

Back

Front

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hottr6
Pooh-Bah

Reged: 06/28/09

Loc: 7,500', Magdalena Mtns, NM

Re: I have one of those!!! COOL! new

[Re: iceblaze]
#5638396 - 01/23/13 08:28 AM

Wot, no Edge HD?

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Eddgie
Postmaster

Reged: 02/01/06

Re: I have one of those!!! COOL! new

[Re: hottr6]
#5638496 - 01/23/13 09:23 AM

If it is operating in Fastar mode, the EdgeHd offers no advantage at all.

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Asbytec
Guy in a furry hat

Reged: 08/08/07

Loc: La Union, PI

Re: I have one of those!!! COOL! new

[Re: Eddgie]
#5638569 - 01/23/13 10:11 AM

I wonder what the effects of seeing are from space. Just guessing, but when you're on earth looking up you get large and small scale turbulence. One might guess when looking down it's all small scale turbulence. Maybe better images?

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fuzzystuff4ever
member

Reged: 11/26/12

Loc: Micco, FL

Re: I have one of those!!! COOL! new

[Re: Asbytec]
#5638708 - 01/23/13 11:18 AM

Good luck getting the GPS to lock on up there.

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Aircrftr
professor emeritus

Reged: 09/29/06

Loc: Claremore OK

Re: I have one of those!!! COOL! new

[Re: fuzzystuff4ever]
#5639455 - 01/23/13 07:27 PM

I wonder how much the images will be distorted due to looking through a nice thick (probably multipane)window?

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Footbag
Carpal Tunnel

Reged: 04/13/09

Loc: Scranton, PA

Re: I have one of those!!! COOL! new

[Re: Aircrftr]
#5639487 - 01/23/13 07:51 PM

Well. They wont be complaining about mirror flop.

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stevew
Now I've done it

Reged: 03/03/06

Loc: British Columbia Canada

Re: I have one of those!!! COOL! new

[Re: Footbag]
#5639820 - 01/24/13 12:04 AM

NASA has a long history using Celestron telescopes.
There are many advertisements for the C5 that indicate that NASA had taken the C5 up on several shuttle flights.
There's also this http://www.nasa.gov/centers/marshall/multimedia/photos/2005/photosH-05-097.ht...
I have one of those

Steve

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Geo.
Carpal Tunnel

Reged: 10/01/08

Loc: Upstate NY

Re: I have one of those!!! COOL! new

[Re: stevew]
#5640537 - 01/24/13 12:07 PM

Interesting, they went with the 9.25 there is no commercial Fastar version. Damn big obstruction. Woder if the custom trunion arms are for balance (no gravity) or to pull the mount closer to the window?

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shawnhar
Carpal Tunnel

Reged: 06/25/10

Loc: Knoxville, TN

Re: I have one of those!!! COOL! new

[Re: Geo.]
#5641495 - 01/24/13 09:07 PM

So...what's the polar alignment routine...lol!

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snowcrow
sage

Reged: 10/21/12

Loc: Vermont

Re: I have one of those!!! COOL! new

[Re: Geo.]
#5641652 - 01/24/13 10:24 PM

Quote:

Interesting, they went with the 9.25 there is no commercial Fastar version. Damn big obstruction. Woder if the custom trunion arms are for balance (no gravity) or to pull the mount closer to the window?

I think the custom trunion arms are to reduce the swing of the scope's front aperture. I would have gone a little closer to the front with the fork myself. It's a mighty small window!

Edited by snowcrow (01/24/13 10:35 PM)

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end
super member

Reged: 08/31/11

Loc: Houston, Texas

Re: I have one of those!!! COOL! new

[Re: snowcrow]
#5643077 - 01/25/13 06:10 PM

Putting a scope up there in fastar mode might make sense under certain circumstances, but a 9.5 with a DSLR in front has a terribly large (and non-uniform) central obstruction. Considering the huge expense of launching anything into space you'd think they would have developed a more highly optimized system. There are plenty of CCD cameras that would have fit very nicely in front of that scope, but a DSLR does not. Alternatively a larger SCT or just a nice regular camera lens seemingly would have been a better choice.

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snowcrow
sage

Reged: 10/21/12

Loc: Vermont

Re: I have one of those!!! COOL! new

[Re: end]
#5643097 - 01/25/13 06:23 PM

Budget cuts! Beside the CCD cameras you speak of are for low light use, but they could have chosen a more streamlined DSLR, like the Sony.

Edit: I'm assuming the camera is for daylight imaging only.

Edited by snowcrow (01/25/13 06:27 PM)

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Qwickdraw
sage

Reged: 03/03/12

Loc: Ann Arbor, Mi

Re: I have one of those!!! COOL! new

[Re: snowcrow]
#5643302 - 01/25/13 08:28 PM

So next time you point your Celestron up remember there might be one pointing back at you

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mclewis1
Thread Killer

Reged: 02/25/06

Loc: New Brunswick, Canada

Re: I have one of those!!! COOL! new

[Re: end]
#5646626 - 01/27/13 06:29 PM

Quote:

Putting a scope up there in fastar mode might make sense under certain circumstances, but a 9.5 with a DSLR in front has a terribly large (and non-uniform) central obstruction. Considering the huge expense of launching anything into space you'd think they would have developed a more highly optimized system. There are plenty of CCD cameras that would have fit very nicely in front of that scope, but a DSLR does not. Alternatively a larger SCT or just a nice regular camera lens seemingly would have been a better choice.

Or perhaps the folks that put the system together know a lot more about precision optics and digital imaging of the earth than anyone around here.

And for all the folks questioning how the scope might get a suitable alignment and the use of GPS in orbit ... it's taking pictures of the earth, there's no need for a traditional stellar alignment.

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azure1961p
Postmaster

Reged: 01/17/09

Loc: USA

Re: I have one of those!!! COOL! new

[Re: mclewis1]
#5646647 - 01/27/13 06:37 PM

Mark,

On the other hand maybe it was just plain lousy to rig a DSLR like that and its killing contrast and light gathering power and there were any number of better choices.

There is that to consider too.

Pete

Post Extras:

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