Parkes Discovery Walk

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Parkes Discovery Walk
ATNF Outreach Workshop 3 December 2003
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Concept

• Radio Astronomy Heritage Theme Park
• Collect preserve keystone instruments
• Location Parkes Observatory
• Open to the public
• Walk through the history of radio astronomy
• Interpretive boards describing role of different
  instruments
• Highlight Australias leading role in the
  development of a new science
• Last chance to preserve hardware from the seminal
  decades of radio astronomy

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Feature instrument

• 18m (60 foot) Kennedy Antenna
• Significant astronomical roles
• Considerable historical value
• To be retained by ATNF

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Other possibilities I

• Culgoora RadioheliographRadioheliograph corner
  reflectorsRadiospectograph antenna
• Fleurs Synthesis Tel. (6x13m)Chris Cross (12 x
  6m)Shain Cross dipole
• Marsfield 4m antenna
• Sinclair collection
• Reber collection

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Other possibilities II

• Reconstructed section of Mills Cross prototype
• Potts Hill Solar grating array (3m, India?)
• Dover Heights Hole in the ground
• Luneberg Lens
• Peoples antenna
• Student telescope

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Layout Logistics

• Land already available
• 135,000 visitors already
• Innovation trail up to PeoplesTelescope
• Decision in principle
• Staged implementation
• Budget
• Possible support(CISCO, Argus, Engineers Corps)

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Last (but not least)

• Haystack Small Radio Telescope
• 2.3m, alt-az mount, full PC control
• 1.4 4.8GHz
• Scanning, digital, spectral line receiver
• Directly relevant to Parkes
• US6K