Lewis Center to Recieve $2.55 Million
DOE's share to help fund radio telescope that will give students more opportunities to do research with NASABy Emily Berg, Staff Writer
APPLE VALLEY A new radio telescope will give young scientists in Apple Valley and around the world more opportunities to do real scientific research with NASA.
The Lewis Center for Educational Research is to receive $2.55 million from the Department of Defense appropriation bill for its share of the $4 million to $5 million radio telescope. Military and research projects in the High Desert received $150 million from the $417 billion defense spending bill thanks to Congressman Jerry Lewis, the chairman of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee.
"The kids are getting a state-of-the-art scientific instrument to continue to be competitive with other scientists," said David MacLaren, the director of global programs for the Lewis Center.
The Lewis Center operates the Goldstone Apple Valley Radio Telescope project. Students throughout the world gather data on deep space activity via classroom computers.
The computers connect with the Operations Center at the Lewis Center's Apple Valley campus and then direct a nine-story radio telescope at the Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex north of Barstow.
NASA and scientists with the Jet Propulsions Laboratory in Pasadena use the data as the foundation for their research projects.
The new antenna will also be placed at Goldstone and will increase the resolution and quality of the students' research. The students will be able to measure black holes 10 times better than they can now, MacLaren said.
"We'll be able to participate with NASA in a wider variety of projects," he said.
The antenna is in its initial design phase and will take at least two years to complete, MacLaren said.
NASA will fund part of the antenna, MacLaren said.
Other projects in the High Desert to receive money from the spending bill include:
$42.75 million for the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms to create a training base with equipment to control and monitor exercises in real time. Eventually, the system will be linked to the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, as well as to Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada and Fort Polk in Louisiana, to provide large-scale joint force exercises.
$34.7 million to General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc., which operates a research and development facility for the Predator Unmanned Aerial Vehicle in Adelanto.
$25 million to the Marine Corps Logistics Base in Barstow to upgrade Marine Corps maintenance depots.
$11 million to the Southern California Logistics Airport in Victorville to replace its water distribution system and for other improvements and upgrades on the base, and to help improve the efficiency of high-speed cargo movements.
$4.25 million to fund a fiber-optic cable system linking Fort Irwin to the China Lake Naval Weapons Station.
The bill was passed 410-12 in the House of Representatives and 96-4 in the Senate. President Bush is expected to sign it by Oct. 1.
Used with permission by the Daily Press, Freedom Communication, 2004