User:Dm2010/Von Braun Astronomical Society

The von Braun Astronomical Society is a society of amateur and professional astronomers dedicated to education and public outreach on behalf of astronomy based in Huntsville, Alabama.

History
The Von Braun Astronomical Society (VBAS) was originally founded in 1954 as the Rocket City Astronomical Association by a group of high school students lead by Sam Pruitt, and with the help and influence of Wernher von Braun.

By 1956, the organization had grown to include several members of the Von Braun Missile Team. Currently the facilities house a second observatory, an astronomical library, a solar telescope, and a planetarium. In addition, there is an observing field where amateur astronomers may setup their personal scopes for observing.

VBAS is a non-profit volunteer organization of amateur and professional astronomers. The observatory is located in Monte Sano State Park east of Huntsville, Alabama. They also conduct sidewalk astronomy events in conjunction with local community events.

Facilities
Planetarium

The VBAS planetarium consists of a 33 ft diameter dome and utilizes a GOTO planetarium projector. The planetarium seats 110 visitors.

An interesting fact about the planetarium is that the dome was originally a transportation cover for the second stage of the Saturn V rocket.

Swanson Observatory

The Swanson Observatory consists of a 21" Cassegrain-Newtonian. This facility is the original building on the property. In 2009 it was upgraded and refurbished to accommodate electronic observation and video. The Swanson Observatory dome slit was repaired and widened in the 90's using curved aluminum I beams from the Sky Lab engineering model.

Angele Observatory

Named for Wilhelm Angele of von Braun's rocket team, the Angele observatory consists of a roll-off roof observatory housing a 16" Celestron Schmitt-Cassegrain Telescope. It was part of a special order of a pair of telescopes from the infant NASA to explore possible lunar landing sites.

Stuhlinger Solar Telescope

VBAS operates the Stuhlinger Solar Telescope. It was finished around 1994 and includes a 12" primary and a 4.75" first surface heliostat mirror. It projects a 24" image of the Sun on the whiteboard in the Angele foyer. This telescope was a personal project of Dr. Ernst Stuhlinger, a member of the Von Braun team.

Expansion

Beginning in 2009, the VBAS board decided to expand the facility. The expansion will include modernized restrooms and a gift shop.