31Aug2012

Astronomy Downunder Pays Us A Visit.

Cam and Krissy loaded and ready to explore Australian night skies once again. Image. D.Reneke

We received a nice visit by our friends from ‘Astronomy Downunder’, Cameron Wylie and partner Krissy who dropped in on the way North. 

We had a couple of days here at our  home in Wauchope to get to know them better and catch up on their news and hear about their adventures as as they travel Australia . We got in some pretty interesting filtered solar viewing on Saturday morning and spotted quite a few sunspots fornming mid disc. 

Cam and Krsissy are making their way north and stopping along the way to do astro tours of the night sky, schools hows and a variety of activities including sidewalk astronomy. On November 14 in Cairns and Port Douglas in Australia we’ll be teaming up with them both to run a series of demos, solar viewing seminars and astronomy lectures. More in that later,

Taken from their website, this is what awaits you with Astronomy Downunder: 

The Latest Telescope equipment is what You will be looking through as we show you a close up look deep into the night sky… Through our computer guided Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope equipment you can see… Planets, the Moon, Stars being born, Stars that have died, see the cosmic dance of Galaxies and Globular Clusters. 

There is so much to see in amazing clarity and vivid detail.  Your guide will explain exactly what you are seeing and even tell you few legends from indigenous dream time lore, so you can experience the night sky with a new perspective.

Your guide will also answer questions and bring you up to date with the latest discoveries. We hope the night sky will hold different meaning for you after coming to our show.

 Contact Cam and Krissie: 0407 905 918 for bookings or click this link to E-mail us. astronomydownunder@yahoo.com.au  Go to the website: HERE

 Dave Reneke

 

Aussie Rocket Man

 An Australian jet pilot has made history by free-flying his own rocket belt across Sydney harbour. David Mayman’s flight on Tuesday was captured on film for a Firelight and Paperbark production and Discovery Channel co-funded documentary.

Rocket Compulsion, will have its world premiere on the Discovery Channel on Christmas Day at 7.30pm (AEDT). Mayman became just one of a dozen rocketmen worldwide and the first in Australia when he made the voyage this week, after years of testing, Discovery Channel said in a statement.

David Mayman

With the help of leading rocketmen engineers, he built his own rocket belt, which runs on the highly volatile fuel, nitrogen peroxide. The belt reaches temperatures of more than 700 degrees Celsius, which may help explain why more men have walked on the moon than flown with one.

The rocket belt was first developed by Bell Aerospace during the height of the cold war but did not enter the public arena until 1965. The documentary includes the story of Mayman’s mentor and fellow rocket belt pilot William Suiter who the flew the device during the LA Olympics.

David Mayman is a successful Australian Internet and mining entrepreneur, prolific adventurer, pilot (of everything he can get his hands on) and a family man with very patient wife, Saschi and two daughters, Georgina and Charlie.

He learned to fly before he could drive and is rated in numerous helicopter and aircraft types and is now willing to risk everything to achieve his goal of flying over the Sydney Harbour. It’s his lifelong dream to build and fly his very own Rocket Belt.

 

History Of The Rocket Belt

 Rocket Compulsion Iphone App

Rocket Belts are the compulsion in this new game – launched with the ‘Rocket Compulsion’ documentary (ABC DVD) – about an Australian pilot who builds and flies his very own Rocket Belt.

Now you can fly like a super agent: strap on a Rocket Belt from the safety of your phone. Fly around numerous locations from outback Australia to Sydney Harbour and perfect your skills to get your professional rocket belt licence. You will be tested on your speed, ability to land, and collection of all stars.

Achieve bronze badges in all three – and you’ll fly through to the next level. Be careful – more people have landed on the moon than flown a rocket belt! Check out our Rocket Compulsion page here.

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