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April meeting. The early USSR space program, plus VIU Astronomy student’s presentation.
April 27, 2023 @ 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Our April hybrid meeting. Online and in person. Society members will receive an email meeting invite.
Main Presentation
We’re very happy to have Dr. David Prud’homme presenting to us.
‘Early Rocketry and Space Technology in the USSR’
Brief :
The US and USSR were in a race to develop ICBM’s (Intercontinental Ballistic Missles) to effectively deliver nuclear warheads. This was the foundation of the “Space Race”, to show the world which political system – America’s democracy or the USSR’s communism – could prove their technological prowess in order to capture the minds and hearts of other nations. This talk will discuss some early achievements – as well as tragedies – of the Soviet space program.
Bio :
Dr. David Prud’homme has had a lifelong interest in Russia. As a child of the space age, he became excited about the early manned flights of both the Soviet Union and the United States. Years later, when the veil was lifted from the secrecy of the Russian space program, David became fascinated by what we didn’t know about Russia. Several trips to both the former USSR and post-Soviet Russia have helped him understand this important period of cold war history.
Short Presentation‘
Vancouver Island University Astronomy Student Presentation hosted by VIU Astronomy Professor (and NAS member) Greg Arkos’
Brief :Vancouver Island University (VIU) students with a minimum of third year standing are able to enrol in two specialized elective courses in astronomy: The History of Astronomy (ASTR 312) and Exploring the Universe (ASTR 311). Unlike our more general “survey style” first year astronomy offerings, the third year courses put significantly greater emphasis on a smaller set of topics but without requiring previous astronomical or mathematical background. An important component of both courses is a 20 minute group presentation made to the class at the end of the semester. This short “teaching” lecture is on a topic of interest selected by each group and which falls within the scope of the material covered in class (but without repeating class material).
It has been a goal for many years to expand on the strong ties that exist between the Nanaimo Astronomy Society & VIU as well as to find ways to more directly include students from the VIU astronomy program in NAS events. Those aspirations are finally coming to fruition as one of the top groups from the spring semester is scheduled to share their ASTR 311 presentation with NAS members during the April meeting! The hope is that such cooperative ventures between NAS and VIU will become regular occurrences in the years to come…
Bio :
A group of 2-4 third year astronomy students enrolled in ASTR 311.