Space Travel
23, May, 2012

Space exploration began with the launch of Sputnik and Astrophysics was born as the application of physics to the phenomena observed by Astronomy, which etymologically means laws of the stars.

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Mcdonald Observatory
An observatory belonging to the University of Texas located on Mount Locke in the Davis Mountains near Fort Davis. It was established in 1932, financed by a bequest from a wealthy Texan banker and amateur astronomer, William J. McDonald. The original instrument, completed in 1938 and still in use, is a 2.08-metre 82-inch reflector, known as the Otto Struve Telescope after the observatory’s first director. In 1969, a 2.72-metre 107-inch reflector came into use. The latest addition is the Hobby*Eberly Telescope, completed in 1996. There are also 91-centimetre 36-inch and 76-centimetre 30-inch reflectors dating from 1956 and 1970 respectively. The 76-centimetre mirror is the central portion of the 2.08-metre, cut away to create the hole for the Cassegrain system. Additionally, there is a 76-centimetre telescope dedicated to satellite laser ranging work and a 5-metre 16-foot millimetre-wave dish.