MATTHEW S. ROTUNDO'S PIXELTOWN

Launch Date: 22 July 2012

Launch Site: University of Wyoming campus, Laramie, Wyoming

Objective: Learn as much about astronomy as possible in one week.  Apply said lessons to our writing.

Personnel:

Captain and Crew

Front row, kneeling/crouching, left to right:

Passengers

Standing, second row:

Third row:

Back row:

Photo by Glen “Utilikilt” Lehmitz

Nicknames courtesy of yours truly (except for Antimatter and Dark Matter, which callsigns were bestowed upon Matt Kressel and I).

Mission Highlights, aka Awesomely Cool Stuff, in no particular order:

Visiting WIRO, the Wyoming Infrared Observatory, and gazing into its 2.3 meter primary mirror.

Seeing the Andromeda Galaxy through night vision goggles, low in the northern sky.  Said goggles had to be repeatedly pried from my hands.

Spectroscopy.

Getting the inside scoop on the Spirit and Opportunity missions from Geoffrey Landis.

Getting a story idea during a Geoffrey Landis lecture on terraformation.

Figuring out the division-by-zero fallacy on the chalkboard all by myself.

Extrasolar planets, detection of.

Learning that spiral arms of galaxies are actually stationary shock waves that initiate star formation.  Whoa.

Jim Verley’s lectures on education and misconceptions.  Fantastic stuff.

Guest lecturer Ruben Gamboa’s presentation on amateur astronomy.  Where are my binoculars?

Mike Brotherton’s basement.  Must be seen to be believed.

A 3-mile hike through a place called Vedauwoo.  Nothing to do with astronomy, but quite pretty.  See?

Good food, libations, meaningful conversations, and general frivolity at various Laramie establishments, including a sports bar improbably named The Library.

Splashdown: 29 July 2012

Results: Brain bursting with new information.  Tremendous fun attained.  Missing my new friends.

Mission accomplished.

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