Observers for Deep Impact's Small Telescope Science Program

Name: Gary Emerson
Location: Golden, Colorado, USA
Telescope Description: 10inch, f/4.5, 45inch focal length
CCD Description: HiSIS-22 camera with a Kodak, KAF-0400 CCD chip, 512x764, 9x9 micron pixels, 1.6"/pixel

Observatory Picture:

Bio: I became interested in astronomy due to my 7th grade teachers interest in the subject. Upon graduating from the 8th grade in 1957, I received a small telescope and was totally hooked on exploring the sky.

My first job in astronomy was working for Northwestern University at a small observatory in New Mexico on a NASA contract to look for transient activity on the moon just prior to the Apollo missions; a fun job that enabled me to attend New Mexico State University in Las Cruces.

My next job in astronomy was working as a solar observer at the High Altitude Observatory in Boulder, Colorado. It was a fun job until the position of "astronomical observers" became an occupation of the past. After that, I became an "astronomy technician" for the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado. In this job, I got to fly instruments on NASA air-craft, run the worlds highest ground-based observatory on Mt. Evans, Colorado for 2 years, work on rocket launches and make lots of observations of comets.

I am presently working at Ball Aerospace in Boulder and have the best job in the state. I do science fiction. My job is working on Internal Research and Development (IRADs) of new technologies.

In addition to my work at Ball, I have a private observatory located about 20 miles SW of Boulder, Colorado at an elevation of 9,000' and participate in the Deep Impact STSP from that location.

STSP Coordinator: Stef McLaughlin
Webmaster: Elizabeth Warner
Last Updated: Wednesday August 29, 2007