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CENTRAL CHAPTER
March 24th DINNER PROGRAM NOTICE
(Also See the Upcoming Programs at End Herein)
“James Webb Space Telescope- the Next Generation and
Successor to the Hubble Space Telescope”
This is a joint Dinner Program for NSPE-CO Central Chapter hosting the Society of
Women Engineers (SWE). The presentation on “James Webb Space Telescope (JWST)
- the Next Generation and Successor to the Hubble Space Telescope” is an
opportunity to share some common goals and networking with our engineering associate
society. The most powerful space telescope ever built will observe the most distant
objects in the Universe. It will provide images of the very first galaxies ever formed and
help identify unexplored planets around distant stars. The talk will be by Heather Doty,
Ball Aerospace Engineer and President of SWE Rocky Mountain Section. Heather will
provide a renewal of a lecture she gave at a conference three years ago. Along with latest
developments, we will get to see what involvement local Ball Aerospace Company has
with this major international project. The Dinner Program will be held at easy to get to
heart of historic Golden, Colorado with a special interest presentation for all engineers,
guests and spouses.
A SPACE THEME TO BE EXPLORED WITH OUR FRIENDS!
DATE
Thursday March 24, 2011
PLACE
Vista Room at The Golden Hotel
800 Eleventh Street
(Corner of 11th & Washington Streets along Clear Creek)
Downtown Golden, Colorado 80401
Phone: 303-279-0100
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(This is about 12 miles west of downtown Denver; take 6th Avenue (US-6) west to 19th
Street, turn right north for half a mile down hill grade to Washington Street, turn left then
go ½ mile through downtown Golden to 11th Street, turn left, park in Hotel parking or
nearby public parking. Note: C-470 Parkway feeds going west into 6th Avenue in Golden)
PROGRAM STARTS
6:00 pm- Social Time with Open Cash Bar
6:45 pm- Sit-down Plated Dinner
7:00 pm Presidents’ Welcome and Messages
7:15 pm- Presentation “James Webb Space Telescope”
SPEAKERS
Mark McFarland, P.E. (NSPE-CO Central Chapter President)
And
Heather Doty, P.E. (SWE RMS President),
Senior Structural Engineer with Ball Aerospace Company
COST
$25.00 per Person for Complete Dinner with Dessert & Fascinating Program
R.S.V.P. DEADLINE
Rick Skaflen by Noon Monday March 21, 2011
[email protected]
303-600-3146 (W), 720-201-5990 (Mobile)
BACKGROUND
The Society of Women Engineers (SWE) was formed in New Jersey by 50 women from
independent small groups from east coast cities in 1950. SWE is a non-profit educational
and service organization that establishes engineering as a highly desirable career
aspiration for women. The Denver Section of SWE was chartered in 1954 and renamed
Rocky Mountain Section (RMS) in 1986. National Society of Professional Engineers
(NSPE) is a three tier society, organized into state societies in 1934. The Professional
Engineers of Colorado (PEC) a state society of NSPE was established in1949 with a
name change to NSPE-Colorado accomplished in 2010. The Central Chapter of NSPECO was formed by combining five chapters from Colorado in 2006. NSPE-CO is
dedicated to promote the ethical, competent and licensed practice of engineering, and to
enhance the professional, social and economic well-being of its members. The Central
Chapter is proud to host SWE Rocky Mountain Section with their President also
providing the main presentation for the evening. Women are still in the minority in the
aerospace industry but females are increasing in number, as described in The Denver Post
newspaper’s Business Section article of Sunday November 21, 2010 with the headline
“Rocket Women”.
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) project completed its first gold-coated
finish mirror segment testing in October last year in the X-ray and Cryogenic Facility at
NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Each of the18 mirror
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Webb telescope primary mirror segments are being re-polished, coated with gold,
measured at Ball Aerospace and finally tested again with Marshall’s test facility at
cryogenic temperatures before the mirror test program is complete. Each mirror segment
is polished and tested at least 30 times. The observatory’s giant, 6.5-meter (21.5 feet)
diameter, hexagonal primary mirror will contain 18 flight mirror segments. Each mirror is
made of beryllium and coated with microscopically thin coat of gold to enable the mirror
to reflect infrared light more effectively. The cryogenic mirror testing began in 2009 and
will continue into 2012. The mirrors during cryogenic testing are subjected to extreme
minus 415 degrees Fahrenheit in the 7,600 cubic-foot helium-cooled vacuum chamber.
This permits NASA engineers to measure and predict how well the telescope will image
infrared sources in the conditions of space as the mirrors change shape as it cools to
operational space temperatures. Northrup Grumman is the prime contractor for the Webb
telescope, leading a design and develop team hired through NASA’s Goddard Space
Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. Local Ball Aerospace Company is responsible for all
mirror development. The entire project is set up to maximize efficiencies and reduce
costs in order to meet the earliest goal for launching the Webb telescope with least risk.
The JWST is a much anticipated, long awaited “next generation” telescope hopefully
capable to look further back in time, deep within dusty star forming regions, using longer
wavelengths that is more sensitive then any previous space telescope. The technologies
are being developed for ground-breaking super-huge telescope to be built on one-of-akind chassis, the backbone to hold the space craft together. (Reference various internet
sources) Heather Doty will provide some layman insight what all this means.
According to Heather, the James Webb Space Telescope, the successor to the Hubble,
will be a large infrared telescope with a 6.5-meter primary mirror and a sunshade the
size of a tennis court. The project is an international collaboration between NASA, the
European Space Agency (ESA), and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). Ball Aerospace &
Technologies Corporation is the principal subcontractor to Northrup Grumman,
responsible for the advanced optical system that serves as the eyes of JWST. This
presentation will include a brief overview of the science objectives of this “first light
machine”, overall telescope architecture, and some of the challenges in designing ultralightweight optics for the violence of launch and the frigid conditions of space a million
miles from home.
Heather Doty is a Senior Structural Engineer at Ball Aerospace in Colorado. She has
worked on the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) for over 8 years, supporting the
design, analysis, and testing of the Webb’s complex opto-mechanical system consisting
of 21 individual mirrors. A Colorado native with a thirst for knowledge, Heather holds
four degrees from the University of Colorado at Boulder: MBA, BS and MS in Civil
Engineering, and BA in Music. In 2007 she was honored as a Distinguished New Engineer
by the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) for career accomplishments and
contributions in the field of aerospace engineering, leadership on the local and regional
levels of SWE, and national support and advocacy for collegiate members. She is now
President of the Rocky Mountain Section of SWE, and enjoys playing Zimbabwean-style
marimba in her spare time. Heather Doty is truly one of those “Rocket Women”.
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(Read more about Heather Doty on www.cobizmag/articles/making-the-world-work )
UPCOMING PROGRAMS
(Plan & add these other captivating Central Chapter events to your calendar.)
Thursday April 28, 2011- Joint Dinner Program with Society of Mining, Metallurgy and
Exploration with a popular presentation on “Frontier Mining Methods” by Ed Raines,
Collection Manager for the Colorado School of Mines Geology Museum. The program
will describe mining history through WW I years, covering a whole lot of engineering of
that period. This is non-technical community oriented topic of interest that is suitable for
multi-disciplined engineers, friends and spouses. With the enthusiasm Ed Rains portrays
for this subject, this should be an enjoyable event for our members and associates. The
Dinner Program will be held at the historical Old Capital Grill in Golden Colorado
approximately 6:30 pm starting after an hour guided tour by Bruce Geller, Museum
Curator, from 5:00 to 6:00 pm beforehand at the CSM Geology Museum with showing of
the recently donated Moon Rock. The local historic restaurant is only a few blocks from
the Museum. Dan Witkowsky has been very helpful in finding our speaker and in
arranging the invitation of Society of Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration (Previously
called SME, Society of Mining Engineers) members to join us for this function. Betty
Gibbs, Executive Director, is coordinating the effort with SME members.
Thursday May 26, 2011- Dinner Program about “Engineering Disasters in Colorado”
by Robert Autobee, CDOT- Region 4 Senior Historian who agreed to research and
develop a presentation on this subject, such as dam failures, building, bridge and highway
disasters that have occurred in Colorado to be held in Southeast Metro area at the RICE
Bistro, 5922 South Holly Street, Greenwood Village, Colorado 80111.
Remember most chapter gatherings are on the fourth Thursday of the month,
except for special function as may be required by speakers and activity. Your early
calling to attend helps us with arrangements. We are still working on the rest of the
year’s preparations, and are starting next year programs. Let us know of your
interest and ideas for future programs.
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