Proposal

For a

High School Radio Telescope Program

2013

Contents
Purpose ........................................................................................................................................................ 3 Learning Objectives ................................................................................................................................... 4 Mathematics ............................................................................................................................................ 4 Physics ..................................................................................................................................................... 4 Chemistry ................................................................................................................................................ 4 Astronomy .............................................................................................................................................. 4 Biology ..................................................................................................................................................... 4 Art ............................................................................................................................................................ 4 Suggested Prerequisites ............................................................................................................................ 5 Suggested Observations ............................................................................................................................ 6 Observation Points and Student Impact ............................................................................................. 6 Suggested Technologies .......................................................................................................................... 11 Budget Considerations ............................................................................................................................ 12 Equipment ............................................................................................................................................. 12 Existing Course Augmentation .............................................................................................................. 16 Implementation Plan ............................................................................................................................... 17 Stage 1 .................................................................................................................................................... 17 Stage 2 .................................................................................................................................................... 18 Stage 3 .................................................................................................................................................... 19 Stage 4 .................................................................................................................................................... 20 Stage 5 .................................................................................................................................................... 21 Stage 6 .................................................................................................................................................... 22 Stage 7 .................................................................................................................................................... 23 Example: ................................................................................................................................................ 24

Purpose
The perspective of this proposal is not that of an educator, therefore it is respectfully requested that any defects of form, protocol or assumptions be viewed as the result of a lack of information and not a specific interpretation of current policy or practice. This proposal is born from respect for educators and the hope to provide a means of enhancing student engagement in scientific experiences.

Radio telescopes show us galaxies we will never see with our eyes through an optical telescope. Our view of the galaxies that we are able to see is enhanced substantially by radio telescopes. While the technology for this sort of research is literally on the cutting edge, there is still valuable research to be had using readily-available, economic technologies. This proposal seeks to provide a plan for implementing a budget-friendly educational enhancement that requires little intervention while continually delivering educational data.

Learning Objectives
Mathematics
From the freshman grade level to seniors a radio telescope program can be used to enhance math instruction by bringing otherwise advanced, though nebulous concepts to life.

Physics
Radio telescopes invite physics concepts to their extremes of interpretation.

Chemistry
In addition to optical spectral analysis performed with a telescope, quite a bit of chemical information can be delivered by a radio telescope. Key elements and compounds can be detected at different wavelengths leading to various discussions about celestial chemical reactions and processes.

Astronomy
Radio telescopes often know about changes in celestial bodies well in advance of visual events. Adding even a basic radio telescope can aid in predicting events worthy of study well in advance. In addition the radio telescope can be used to detect the effects following celestial events that may have even happened centuries earlier.

Biology
While still driven by theory and speculation, the search for celestial water, hydrogen and hydrocarbons drives discussions of potential life-bearing configurations of celestial bodies. Radio telescopes enhance this line of study.

Art
An often overlooked aspect to our understanding of celestial data is how we present our results. Applying artistic talent to this provides a layer of interpretation older than Galileo and expands avenues of student involvement.

Suggested Prerequisites
This listing is beyond the scope of this proposal. It is expected that educators will decide how best to utilize this program.

Suggested Observations
Monitoring the electromagnetic spectrum in search of unseen cosmic phenomena has few rules. With a practical frequency range of 10KHz to 100 GHz a nation could go broke trying to listen to it all. At the high school level this is a daunting set of choices, all limited by budgets. NASA also has a basic radio telescope monitoring program for schools. Introducing students to electromagnetic celestial observation can begin at the freshman level if the curriculum can be adapted to include enhancements to science and math instruction. The lower bands provide a simple link between optical and radio astronomy. While an optical telescope is being focused on Jupiter, a pair of directional loop antennas and receivers can be focused on the gas giant as well to monitor the extreme activity of Jupiter between 15 and 30 megahertz. The same can be said of solar observations in the VHF bands. Sophomore and Junior level students will find additional enhancements for math, physics and even chemistry instruction in the next series of bands. Some are served by variable direction antennas that require specific calculations to encounter celestial phenomena. Others are longer term and are detected by larger fixed antenna arrays. Using this means of passive detection the earth becomes the telescopes tracking device. At any moment of the day or night the exact position of the antenna is known and can be confirmed using fixed mathematical concepts. Seniors will have a wealth of practical, long-term observations that can be compiled into research papers, science projects and other presentations including the occasional published discoveries. In a senior-level high school astronomy program a multiband radio telescope program will provide real-world exposure for various segments of the curriculum. In addition to the benefits the observations a working system provides, the students should be encouraged to get involved in the design, construction and operation of the system. Since budget constraints are likely to stretch this effort over several years, involving students in the establishment, maintenance and upgrades of the system will further enrich their exposure while helping control costs.

Observation Points and Student Impact

In order to narrow the observational field and make compromise choices easier, the following are suggested frequency bands that would provide a wide range of observational opportunities.

Frequency Range

Band

Observations

Student Impact Pro

Very active band. Wide range of effects and sounds. Simple experiments produce dramatic results. Very active band. Students select frequencies to monitor. Simple antenna. Also measures solar activity.

Con
Not much in the way of meaningful astronomical data. Best effects occur outside of school hours. Massive human-induced noise to sort through. Monitoring the entire band requires exponential numbers of receivers. Best planetary observations will be at night. Massive human-induced noise and commercial stations to sort through. Supermassive black holes prevent regular observations of Quasars. Pulsars are rare; it could be many months or even years before a fixed antenna system encounters one. Directional tracking for such distant objects is expensive and complex. Continuum relic tracking is not particularly exciting!

0.1 30 KHz

ELF VLF

Terrestrial and extraterrestrial electromagnetic phenomena

7 30 MHz

MF

Interplanetary electromagnetic emissions. NASA has a school program for monitoring 20MHz emissions from Jupiter named JOVE. Ionized trails of meteors, rockets and solar flares.

88 108 MHz

VHF

Note: Quasars can be received in this range as well, but over 99% of them are radio-silent!

150 - 153 MHz

VHF

Pulsars, continuum measurements and logging

Students select frequencies to monitor. Simple directional Yagi antenna. 24/7 observation capability. Good for long and short term assignments. Analog coverage of the entire band may be performed by a single receiver per antenna. Plenty of continuum activity to be measured. An array of simple directional Yagi antennas.

Frequency Range

Band

Observations

Student Impact Pro

Analog coverage of the entire band may be performed by a single receiver per antenna. Plenty of continuum activity to be measured. Good for long-term assignments.

Con
Pulsars are rare; it could be many years before a fixed antenna system encounters one. Directional tracking for such distant objects is expensive and complex. Continuum relic tracking is not particularly exciting! Can take months to gain enough measurements for meaningful exercise of the data. Questionable research value. Results can vary wildly at the same coordinates.

406.1 410 MHz

UHF

Pulsars, continuum measurements and logging

1420 MHz

UHF

Neutral hydrogen atoms in space

8.66 8.67 GHz

SHF

Ionized helium isotope (3HeII) for stellar and solar wind measurements

Simple receiver and antenna. Allows students to track former star locations and other hydrogen wells. Encounters can have a wide range of indications. Novel inferences about the extended reach of life in the universe. Always active. Data easily coordinated and confirmed with recognized sources. Good for short-term assignments.

Kind of like watching stellar grass grow during the day. Uncommon results will always be in the dead of night.

Frequency Range

Band

Observations

Student Impact Pro

Analog coverage of the entire band may be performed by a single receiver per antenna. Plenty of continuum activity to be measured. Good for long-term assignments. Milky way has several sources. Novel inferences about the extended reach of life in the universe.

Con
Continuum relic tracking is not particularly exciting! Can take months to gain enough measurements for meaningful exercise of the data. Deep space encounters are rare; it could be many months or years before a fixed antenna system encounters one. Directional tracking is possible manually, but must take place at night. Deep space encounter are rare; it could be many years before a fixed antenna system encounters one. Directional tracking is possible manually, but must take place at night.

10.6 10.7 GHz

Continuum measurements and logging

12.17 12.19 GHz

Methanol in space

14.44 14.5 GHz

Ku

Formaldehyde in space

Intergalactic and extragalactic sources. Novel inferences about the extended reach of life in the universe.

Frequency Range

Band

Observations

Student Impact Pro

Extensive Doppler effect exposure. Novel inferences about the extended reach of life in the universe.

Con
Deep space encounter are rare; it could be many years before a fixed antenna system encounters one. Directional tracking is possible manually, but must take place at night.

22.16 22.26 GHz

Ka

Water Vapor in space

10

Suggested Technologies
One of the attractive elements of this undertaking is that most of the technology is not only off-the-shelf, a great portion of it is inexpensive. Costs can be driven down further by involving students in the fabrication of antennas, receivers and visualization means. In practical terms, it will be necessary to have the greatest part of the observations performed by computer. This is normal because a radio telescope is not limited to nighttime operation in the same manner as optical telescopes (though the sun becomes a factor, it can also be used yearly for instrument calibration). As the system grows the antenna cables will seem like Kudzu unless a plan for cable throughways and support trays is considered prior to installing any of the 10-element arrays. The remote antennas/receivers (such as the JOVE program or portable antennas) may benefit from wireless data transmission. Since the technology is relatively inexpensive, incremental advancements in the program can involve students across multiple years. Antenna technologies are tied to their bandwidths and orientation. Lower frequencies employ simple stretched-wire dipoles (JOVE), Horizontal and vertical tuned Yagi antennas work fine for most mid-bands and higher bands require a reflective dish pair.

Budget Considerations
The good news is that the budget impact for starting a radio telescope program is minimal. The NASA program for monitoring Jupiter in conjunction with schools (JOVE) relies on a pair of wire dipole antennas and a 20 MHz radio receiver in conjunction with a computer and free software for continuous monitoring. This particular setup can be had for under $100 (sans computer). Other elements of the program will have to be modified or fabricated by students and teachers. This includes antennas, receivers (such as ELF/VLF band), tuning, matching and datalogging equipment. All of this can occur in whatever incremental stages the school chooses. While a simple program like JOVE can get a school into radio astronomy in very inexpensive terms, it is still dedicated to a singular line of study; Jupiters emissions at 20 MHz. In the radio astronomy game the simple rule is that too much is never enough. This is made evident by the Very Large Array in New Mexico or the Arecibo crater dish in Puerto Rico. Both are hideously expensive and require substantial maintenance since they are not fixed installations. Being able to tilt the antenna elements allows these examples to provide limited tracking to keep a particular object in view longer as the earth moves. With a fixed array the earth becomes your scanning driver. The advantage is that once mounted, the antennas dont move again. This means when a celestial object is detected, the location can be readily confirmed, the math will prove it. The disadvantage is that with most detection events, they will not be repeated. Still, for a high school, a fixed array for a wide profile of bands can be constructed incrementally and operated inexpensively. In most cases the power consumption for active antenna elements will add up to less than a watt each. A 50element array can consume less than 15 watts. The rest of the power used would be computers running 24/7 as data loggers. This could be a series of networked desktop computers up to 5 years old. Utility consumption is negligible but can be affected by large numbers of PCs..

Equipment
The best news for a radio astronomy program in a high school is that the equipment is largely common, inexpensive and often simple to fabricate. While using reclaimed technology on its own does not lend itself to building a world-class radio observatory, the other side of this coin is the diversity of coverage for the entire system. Building the system in regular increments will enable the students to become engaged in the process for multiple years and watch the evolution of the program happen in real time.

12

The following is a basic study for implementing a radio telescope program to a high school based on equipment advancements and the coverage each change provides. For the sake of simplicity the example is aligned square with true north. This is the suggested orientation for an East-West array that allows passive celestial scanning that provides a predictable field of view. Other elements of this program can incorporate directional antennas on rotating, pitchcontrolled mounts, horizontal plane fixed mountings and stretched wire dipoles. The equipment stages will attempt to take full advantage of any reclaimed technology available. For example, monitoring the K band for Methanol can be accomplished with a simple array of reclaimed direct service (smaller) satellite TV dish antennas, a simple receiver circuit for each antenna and a computer for consolidating and logging the data. Adding an additional feed horn would allow the same dish to be upgraded to monitor the Ku band for Formaldehyde during the same pass. In the next table the equipment for specific bands is discussed as well as approximate pricing. All of the pricing is affected by the potential for utilizing reclaimed equipment and donated services as well as engaging students in custom fabrication and calibration of equipment during upgrade phases. In addition to the antennas and receivers the system will need a way to consolidate and log all of the inputs. Since the system is expected to grow gradually, analog inputs can first be as simple as the microphone jack on a PC. Each PC would give 2 channels of continuous recording capability. This can take advantage of retiring PCs since the technology is not required to be current. This works fine for single-frequency pairs and will provide valuable data thanks to having 2 phases for comparison. Adding more channels of input changes this equation. If the school system has a warehouse full of older PCs, a full implementation of the suggested high school program presented here would require around 82 channels or 41 PCs running 24/7. This would certainly cause budget concerns and require additional cooling if they are all kept in the same place. Using PCs as 2-channel data recorders gains cost faster than efficiency, but is still a viable solution for whatever number the school and school system care to endure. Once that mark is met, multi-channel data input boards for PCs become necessary. They are available in configurations of 4, 8, 10, 12, 16, 32 and 64 channels but run from a few hundred dollars to over a thousand.

13

Frequency Range
0.1 30 KHz

Band
ELF VLF

Observations
Terrestrial and extraterrestrial electromagnetic phenomena Interplanetary electromagnetic emissions. NASA has a school program for monitoring 20MHz emissions from Jupiter named JOVE. Ionized trails of meteors, rockets and solar flares. Note: Quasars can be received in this range as well, but over 99% of them are radio-silent! Pulsars, continuum measurements and logging

Equipment
(2) Receivers, Custom (2) Antennas, Reclaimed (6) Grounding Rods (2) Receivers, (2) Fixed Antennas, Custom JOVE Dipoles (2) Portable Directional Loop Antennas, Custom. (*) (2 - 12) Receivers, (2 - 12) Fixed Directional Yagi Horizontal plane Antennas, Custom. (*) (4 - 8) Receivers, Custom. (4 - 8) Fixed Directional Yagi Horizontal plane Antennas, Custom. Mounted at 2 heights oriented east. (4 - 8) Receivers, Custom. (4 - 8) Fixed Directional Yagi vertical plane Antennas, Custom. (9) Receivers, Custom (9) Fixed Helical directional antennas, custom $50 each $0.00 $10 Each

Costs

Total $160 $100 each $25 each $100 each Total $450 $20 each $20 each

7 30 MHz

MF

88 108 MHz

VHF

Total $80 to $240 $100 each $20 each

150 - 153 MHz

VHF

Total $480 to $960 $100 each $20 each Total $480 to $960 $70 each $20 each Total $810

406.1 410 MHz

UHF

Pulsars, continuum measurements and logging Neutral hydrogen atoms in space

1420 MHz

UHF

Frequency Range
8.66 8.67 GHz

Band
SHF

Observations
Ionized helium isotope (3HeII) for stellar and solar wind measurements Continuum measurements and logging

Equipment
(6) Receivers, Custom. (6) Fixed Yagi vertical plane Antennas, Custom. (10) Receivers, Custom. (10) Fixed Directional Dish antenna. Reclaimed, modified. (10) Brass wave guides, custom. (10) Receivers, Custom. (10) Fixed Directional Dish antenna. Reclaimed, modified. (*) (10) Receivers, Custom. (10) Fixed Directional Dish antenna. Reclaimed, modified. (10) Receivers, Custom. (10) Fixed Directional Dish antenna. Reclaimed, modified. (20) Receivers, Custom. (20) Fixed Dish, Yagi, helical antenna. Reclaimed, modified. $100 each $20 each

Costs

Total $720 $50 each $20 each $20 each Total $900 $50 each $20 each Total $700 $100 each $20 each Total $1200

10.6 10.7 GHz

12.17 12.19 GHz

Methanol in space

14.44 14.5 GHz

Ku

Formaldehyde in space

22.16 22.26 GHz

Ka X, K, Ku, Ka, SHF, UHF

Water Vapor in space Ionized helium isotope (3HeII) Continuum Methanol Formaldehyde Water Vapor

$100 each $20 each Total $1200

Multi-Band Dual Phase Arrays (2)

$100 each $20 each

Total $2400 Grand Total $10,700

(*) Readily adapted technology.

15

Existing Course Augmentation

How a school develops and continues a curriculum is outside of the scope of this proposal. The learning objectives in the beginning touch on the diversity of educational disciplines that might consider a tie-in to the efforts of the radio astronomy program. Depending upon the level of involvement of the students and the turnover as students gain and lose interest or seek different directions, the program itself may go through cycles of importance. It is assumed this program will be started initially outside of regular class hours. For this reason a gradual approach is suggested to test the waters and to minimize budget impact and to allow for adequate course development time.

Implementation Plan
This is a hypothetical implementation plan divided into seven stages. The school is aligned for perfect east-west antenna orientation with north at the top.

Stage 1

This stage suggests an implementation of the least expensive technologies as a starting point. This system will allow augmentation of existing telescope observations as well as NASAsponsored continuing research into emission from Jupiter. The VHF array will allow a range of observations throughout the day.

17

Stage 2

This stage adds the ELF/VLF receivers to explore lower band phenomena as well as a multi-band dual phase array for all of the upper band monitoring in a low-resolution system fit for fixed scanning. This particular stage pushes the greatest part of the development efforts for reclaimed equipment as well as dedicated-purpose equipment.

18

Stage 3

This stage adds the 3HeII (helium isotope) detection array which is an arrangement of vertical Yagi antennas tilted 15 degrees from north. This is to allow overlap in the scan to take advantage of the pattern of reception for this antenna design.

19

Stage 4

This stage adds the hydrogen wavelength helical antenna array. This 9-element array is aimed directly vertically and requires a dedicated technology receiver for each antenna.

20

Stage 5

This stage adds the Ka band (water vapor) array which will allow the first higherresolution scan capability. This will also mark the change in duty for the Ka element of the dual phase multi-arrays into a pre-and post-scan verification/checksum system.

21

Stage 6

This stage adds the X band array which will allow the first higher-resolution scan capability. This will also mark the change in duty for the X-band elements of the dual phase multi-arrays into a pre-and post-scan verification/checksum system.

22

Stage 7

This stage adds the K and Ku band array which will allow the first higher-resolution scan capability. This will also mark the change in duty for the K and Ku elements of the dual phase multi-arrays into a pre-and post-scan verification/checksum system. This stage can be limited to either K or Ku as budget constraints may dictate.

23

Example:

24