79-01-B3

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Telescope I

Transcript There is a magic in this marketplace economy of ours that we often forget as we worry about inflation, the dollar's decline, and an unfavorable trade balance. The magic is to be found in the way that someone with an idea sees a problem, and comes up with a solution. The motive, of course, is profit. Yet we all benefit. For years now our urban sprawl has been troublesome to astronomers and to the colleges and universities offering courses in astronomy. One by one our great observatories are becoming less and less able to track the stars, as cities push their way out to the mountains and hilltops where the telescopes are mounted. The problem is sky glow from city lights which vastly reduces visibility. Moving these observatories would be a very costly business. They are very expensive to build in the first place . Now, two relatively young men in Atlanta, Georgia, have seen a need and recognized it as an opportunity. Alan Rand and E. James Grethe, president and vice president, respectively, of The Rand Instrument Corporation, have made a scientific breakthrough which will go a long way toward solving the astronomers' problem and at a big savings in cost. They and their colleagues have perfected a mobile observatory. It is a telescope with a lens size ranging from 16 to 40 inches, mounted on a trailer. It can be towed to any location, far from the city's sky glow. Then, in a matter of minutes, the astronomer can align the polar axis to the celestial pole and proceed with deep space research. Rand has also developed the world's most powerful light amplifier. By light amplification the telescope can instantly reveal galaxies which heretofore could only be seen on a photographic plate after hours of exposure. There is more. Suppose a university is having trouble offering courses in astronomy because sky glow has interfered with its observatory. A professor can take the portable telescope 50 miles away, video-tape the heavens and transmit this to his students in the classroom who would at the same time be hearing his taped lecture. To make this portable telescope fully operational, Rand offers the means of towing the trailerborne scope. It is called "RAMO" which is short for "Rand Astronomical Mobile Observatory." But "RAMO" is more than just a towing vehicle. It provides living quarters for the astronomers, support instrumentation, darkroom facilities, and can be a traveling classroom for as many as 15 students. It is a completely equipped motor home type vehicle and comes in several models and sizes. Not only has Rand Instruments Corporation opened new vistas for astronomers at the same time it solved a vexing problem, but there is a spinoff which could be of tremendous value to national security. I'll tell you about that on the next commentary. This is Ronald Reagan. Thanks for listening.		Details Batch Number 79-01-B3 Production Date 01/??/1979 Book/Page RihoH-310 Audio Youtube? No
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