The following is a letter from Charles Osborne, Technical Director of the Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute in nearby Rosman, SC. PARI is a non-profit research group dedicated to making astronomy available to educators and researchers. Several times a year they invite volunteers to help them with a variety of their ongoing projects. It’s an amazing facility, and donations of your time helps them with their mission and gives you an opportunity to tour the site and understand more about what they are trying to accomplish.
In the 1960’s and 1970’s the Rosman Research Station was a NASA space flight facility. From 1981 to 1995 the facility was used by the Department of Defense for intelligence gathering. In 1999 the site was transferred to its current owners for development as an astronomical research and education facility. (website)
From Charles S. Osborne (11/2/2004):
This is a reminder that Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute will be having a Volunteer weekend Saturday/Sunday November 13rd/14th. If you wish to attend, please email or call Charles Osborne.
If you are new to this list and have questions about how to get to PARI, or what the volunteer day entails, please send me an email with your questions. I’ll do my best to answer.
In general we have a wide variety of tasks. Some people like to learn new things. Others like to work in areas they know a lot about. The volunteers have ranged from age 9 to age 86. Children must be accompanied by a parent at all times. Generally we break up into smaller groups of three to five volunteers led by an experienced mentor for a specific task.
The Saturday schedule is very flexible. If you are local, we get started about 8:30~9am. If coming from Atlanta or Raleigh we’ll see you around lunch time and are glad to provide a place for you to stay overnight to make the weekend more do’able travel time wise. Its suggested to bring a sleeping bag if staying over. We do have some limited number of beds and linen for the volunteers also though.
Food is up to the individual. There are no restaurants within reasonable ~10 mile range. Most people bring snacks and reheat in the microwave. Brevard is 18 miles away, and has any sort of fast food or grocery story you might want for a last minute stop prior to coming up to PARI. Once here, we have a refrigerator to keep things cold so that you don’t need to bring a cooler. We also have a gas grill outside for those who wish to cook hamburgers etc.
In the evening, weather permitting we try to get out telescopes for some informal star party style viewing. Bring a scope if you have one, or just enjoy the view thru others’.
Weather forecasts ten days in advance are next to impossible. A good guess would be daytime highs in the mid 60’s and lows at night in the lower 40’s. We are past the peak fall color for foliage at present with the leaves rapidly falling.
The Blue Ridge Parkway is open from Mt.Mitchell to Cherokee now, but closed beyond Mitchell to northeast. Check the BRP website for the latest info if coming that way or intending to sightsee after the volunteer weekend. All major roads to PARI are open. However highway 215 is closed at the Blue Ridge Parkway on the Waynesville side.
Possible Weekend Tasks:
- Loading software and evaluating donated PCs
- Organize storage shelving, PCs and electronics parts
- Network cable routing in control room
- UPS wiring in bldg28
- VLF antenna and receiver setup and tested
- Desoldering key components from scrap circuit boards
- Database entry of volunteers from past weekends
- Sorting books and magazines
Welcome some of Blue Ridge Community College astronomy Professor Keeth Willingham’s students assisting at PARI for the volunteer weekend for extra credit.
This is the final volunteer weekend for 2004.
Charles S. Osborne
Technical Director
Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute
1 PARI Drive, HC 73, Box 638
Rosman, NC 28772-9614
http://www.pari.edu
828-862-5813 direct
828-862-5554 main
828-862-5877 FAX
cosborne@pari.edu
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