{"425801":{"#nid":"425801","#data":{"type":"news","title":"New GT-SORT telescope will open up research for AE\u0027s Holzinger","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe July 29 installation of a new telescope at the GT\u0026nbsp;Observatory represents more than the standard lab set-up for AE faculty\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/ae.gatech.edu\/mholzinger\u0022\u003EMarcus Holzinger\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe $110,000\u0026nbsp; Space Object Research Telescope (GT-SORT) will give Georgia Tech researchers a unique and superior tool to study space situational awareness (SSA).\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cGT-SORT will be one of the first Raven class telescopes at a US academic institution,\u201d said Holzinger, who joined his colleague, James R. Sowell, a senior academic professional in the School of Physics, for the formal installation.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThere is another telescope of this quality at the US Air Force Academy, and a similar research telescope at Kyushu University in Japan, but none in domestic non-military academic institutions. I think some of my research colleagues across the country will want to follow suit in the next five years, but, for now, we have established a unique place for Georgia Tech\u2019s research efforts.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable width=\u0022300\u0022 border=\u00220\u0022 cellspacing=\u00221\u0022 cellpadding=\u00225\u0022 align=\u0022right\u0022\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E\u003Cem\u003ESuspended in a wooden crate, dangling above its new home, the GT-SORT didn\u0027t look like anything special. The magic of the highly engineered telescope will be revealed later this fall, when Holzinger\u0027s research team begins working with it.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECranes lifted the 2500-lb telescope assembly to its new home in The Georgia Tech Observatory, situated at the top of the Howey Physics Building. The installation caps a planning process that has engaged Holzinger and Sowell for 18 months.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor the time being, the GT-SORT will replace an older telescope which was used primarily for community-oriented activities (observing the moon, planets, stars etc.). The older one will be returned to the observatory and will be joined by yet another in the next 18 months.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor now, both Holzinger and Sowell are focused on the GT-SORT.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIt\u2019s like going from a sedan to a sports car,\u201d Sowell quipped. \u201cThe Observatory generally sees about 1,500 visitors a year, but, with this, I\u2019d expect we\u2019ll see at least 2,000, maybe more.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn addition to a larger aperture, the GT-SORT has a superior optical assembly that features a large flat field, and substantial autonomous operation capabilities. The mount on which it will sit is also agile and accurate enough for Holzinger and his research team to collect empirical data on objects in low Earth orbit (LEO), an area crucial to his SSA research.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable width=\u0022300\u0022 border=\u00220\u0022 cellspacing=\u00221\u0022 cellpadding=\u00225\u0022 align=\u0022right\u0022\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E\u003Cem\u003EJames Sowell, left, and Marcus Holzinger, right, are seen here just before the new GT-SORT was lowered into the Observatory. To their left is the older telescope that will be temporarily displaced by the GT-SORT.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cGT-SORT will give us unprecedented access to sensors and data that can validate algorithms we develop to understand what is in orbit,\u201d said Holzinger.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cPresently, what we do in academic environments is generate synthetic data using simulation. It\u2019s an important step, but it\u2019s only the first step in the proof of concept. I could write algorithms all day that appear on paper to detect and track debris, but they might not address real situations \u2013 possible debris that operators need to know about.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHolzinger emphasized the importance of having verifiable data to enhance his work, and that of his colleagues in academia.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022Without empirical validation of space situational awareness methodologies, the utility and impact of any proposed approaches in academia remains unknown. How do we know if we\u0027re solving real problems? How do we know we\u0027re solving the right problems? How do we know if we\u0027ve solved any problem? GT-SORT allows Georgia Tech to answer these questions directly.\u0022\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022rtecenter\u0022\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/117948618@N08\/sets\/72157646148050026\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cem\u003ECheck out this slideshow of the telescope\u0027s installation.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022rtecenter\u0022\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ctable width=\u0022500\u0022 border=\u00220\u0022 cellspacing=\u00221\u0022 cellpadding=\u00221\u0022\u003E\u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E\u003Cem\u003EWell before they peer through any telescope, visitors to the Georgia Tech Observatory are treated to some great (unassisted!)\u0026nbsp;views of the Atlanta skyline. We are pretty fond of this view, which captures our very own Tech Tower.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/em\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EPhoto courtesy of Ben Wright\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E\u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022rtecenter\u0022\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"The July 29 installation of a new telescope at the GT Observatory represents more than the standard lab set-up for AE faculty Marcus Holzinger."}],"uid":"27456","created_gmt":"2015-07-16 13:56:23","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:19:08","author":"Britanny Grace","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2014-08-05T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2014-08-05T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"groups":[{"id":"1239","name":"School of Aerospace Engineering"}],"categories":[{"id":"136","name":"Aerospace"},{"id":"134","name":"Student and Faculty"},{"id":"8862","name":"Student Research"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"2082","name":"aerospace engineering"},{"id":"135541","name":"GT-SORT"},{"id":"130401","name":"Marcus Holzinger"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":["communications@ae.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}