Word: center
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Dates: during 1970-1979
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Summer of '42. At the Science Center B, Friday...
...satellite Lageos, conceived and designed by scientists in the Center's division of geoastronomy, may provide a measure of continental drift. The satellite, now in orbit, is two feet in diameter, and is covered with 426 small mirrors. Scientists at two different ground stations direct lasers at the satellite. By precisely measuring the round-trip time of each beam, they hope to determine the distance between the stations to an accuracy of two centimeters--the distance many think Europe and North America drift apart each year. The researchers' accuracy is at about ten centimeters now. But most of the research...
Field does not attempt to give pragmatic justifications for astronomy, although he does credit astronomy with starting the industrial revolution. He says astronomy provided the realization you could predict natural events--it offered "a few equations that had fantastic implications." But Field chiefly justifies the Center's work in romantic terms: "First and foremost, astronomy is an adventure--an intellectual adventure, but also an aesthetic adventure. Everyone can participate in one way or another." Field says, "Humanity loves astronomy--it's the wonder aspect. People don't wonder about bacteria, or the structure of the nucleus. It's a very...
...convocation speech at the Center last May, Field suggested that astronomy may soon arrive at a major "intellectual synthesis"--"With an impact rivalling that of the Darwinian theory of biological evolution, it may be able to account for all the structures in the universe, from quasars to planets." Gursky, in the office above Field, is not so confident. He says, "If we thought we'd find an answer, we'd give up. We'd just publish it and go home...
...meantime, research at the Center goes on, and the universe continues to expand. If you want to know what is happening in the sky this week, you can call the Center's Dial-a-Satellite phone...