Transcript: December week 2

PAUL
Welcome to Idaho Skies on Radio Boise. This is the second week of December. We’re your hosts, Paul..

RACHEL
..Rachel..

KRIS
..And Kris

PAUL
Did you know amateur radio operators have built their own satellites?

KRIS
That’s right. The first one was named OSCAR and it was launched 45 years ago on the 12th.

RACHEL
OSCAR stood for Orbiting Satellite Carrying Amateur Radio and it only weighed 11 pounds.

KRIS
Instead of using solar cells, OSCAR ran on batteries.

RACHEL
This means its lifetime was limited. So after three weeks its batteries died and OSCAR fell silent.

KRIS
The satellite operated a low power radio transmitter that sent the Morse code symbols for HI HI.

PAUL
Here’s what OSCAR’s radio transmission sounded like.

PLAY OSCAR FILE

RACHEL
To amateur radio operators, HI HI means you’re laughing or smiling.

KRIS
As the temperature of OSCAR changed, so did the speed at which it sent its message.

RACHEL
OSCAR was built for 21 dollars in parts.

KRIS
And it was launched for free.

PAUL
Its ride into orbit was provided by the launch of Discoverer 36.

RACHEL
The Discoverer series of spacecraft were our first spy satellites.

KRIS
Of course, the Air Force didn’t call them that in public. That’s why they were given the name Discoverer.

RACHEL
The Discoverer satellites were launched on a two stage rocket called the Thor Able.

KRIS
The second stage, the Able, needed ballast, or weight, for balance.

PAUL
Usually dead weight is added to the rocket booster for ballast.

RACHEL
The amateur radio operators who built OSCAR convinced the United States Air Force to carry their 11 pound satellite as part of the Able’s ballast.

KRIS
OSCAR reentered earth’s atmosphere on January 31, 1962 after being in space for 50 days.

RACHEL
If you’d like to learn more about amateur radio satellites, check out the AMSAT organization’s webpage at www.amsat.org.

PAUL
A meteor shower from the constellation Gemini reaches its peak on the evening of the 13th.

KRIS
The Geminid meteor shower is one of those that will be better before midnight.

RACHEL
This will be a nice shower to watch, as the shower has meteors that are brighter on average than most other meteor showers.

KRIS
To watch the shower, find a comfortable reclining chair and look up.

PAUL
But be sure to wear warm clothing, as it is the middle of December.

RACHEL
Geminid meteors will appear to originate from near the star Castor, the fainter of twin stars Castor and Pollux.

KRIS
Castor and Pollux appear as twin stars low in the north-northeast after dark.

PAUL
If he were still alive, Tycho Brahe would be 460 years old on the 14th.

RACHEL
Tycho was the greatest observational astronomer.

KRIS
But perhaps you’ve heard of his golden nose.

RACHEL
While attending the university, he got into an argument with a fellow student over who was the better mathematician.

KRIS
Instead of settling their argument over the chalk board, they settled it over a duel with swords.

RACHEL
Tycho may have been a better mathematician than swordsman. He lost the tip of his nose in the duel.

KRIS
To cover up his disfigurement, Tycho fashioned a gold and silver cover for his nose.

RACHEL
That’s Idaho Skies for the second week of December. Next week we’ll have more on Tycho Brahe along with Luna 13 and the winter solstice.

For Idaho Skies this is Rachel.

KRIS
..Kris..

PAUL
.. and Paul.