[fedora-astronomy] Long term goals and multiple opportunities

[Joseph Dell'Orfano]

Kstars will nicely control a motorized focuser on an LX-200

-Joe D

Jeff Spaleta wrote:
> Good Morning Campers!
>
> I haven't participated directly in the Astronomy SIG even though I'm
> listed in its membership.
> But I have been thinking about long term opportunities for the SIG to
> be break out star of the Fedora Project.
>
> So let me catch you all up to speed on a couple of long term ideas
> that I've been leveraging my Board title to have conversations about.
>
> 1) open source amateur telescope network
>
> Given the right telescope and ccd camera hardware arrangements, we
> could provide a completely self-contained Fedora based software setup
> for remote instrument control, with turn-key instructions on how to
> get an instrument up and in the network.  To that end, I have a local
> high school teacher who has a small grant to put a remotely controlled
> scope together for his classes to use.  It looks like we'll be using a
> apogee usb camera and an 8 inch meade telescope. Hardware I'm sure we
> won't have a problem providing support for in Fedora.  A filter wheel
> hasn't been selected yet.
>
> Given that hardware what is the best control and image capture
> software we have in Fedora right now that could be used for instrument
> control, tracking and image collection?  I'm thinking Kstars makes for
> the best interface for an educational target, but what do i know.  Can
> we do guidestar tracking out of the box with this camera and scope, or
> would we need a secondary imager?  I'm not sure kstars actually does
> image based guidestar tracking.
>
> I haven't even thought about focus control yet. I would imagine we'll
> need to homebrew something.  Whatever we end up doing, I want it to be
> an easy to follow blueprint so I can get another school to do it next
> year so we can link multiple instruments together for student use.
>
> And if all possible I want to be able to produce a Fedora branded live
> image with the necessary software to run the instrument.
>
> 2) Radio Lunar/Solar Bounce HF Groundstations
> What would it take to run a network of volunteer groundstations to
> participate in a coordinated lunar/solar bounce HF experiment?
> I've run across an experimental opportunity for long baseline
> interferometry that could make use of a dispersed network of
> groundstations, and I'd like to see if we can build that network
> through the Fedora project.  Obviously it's going to require hardware
> that most people don't have...but licensed HAM operators might have.
> I'm talking with potential researchers now to organize the science
> proposal.  But we also need to stat having a conversation inside
> Fedora about whether there is enough interest in participating in a
> network of volunteer stations.   I've talked to a couple of people in
> the HAM SIG, but if the Astronomy SIG wants to help make it happen
> that would be keen as well.
>
> Now that gnuradio is in in the repo, what else would be needed in
> Fedora to do something coordinated?  I'm sure we have the necessary
> software to make use of gps time syncing when groundstations have
> access to a local gps time source.  One of the  goals here is a
> turn-key live image that can be used as the automated groundstation
> control. I'm not sure if it will end-up being brandable Fedora without
> special permission from the Board.  it might have to ship some
> configuration information for data collection specifics that won't be
> a part of the Fedora repository.
>
> -jef
>
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