A.V.KIDS TO SCAN SKIES REMOTE AUSSIE TELESCOPE TO RELAY DATA.

Byline: Karen Maeshiro Staff Writer

PALMDALE - Early next year, Palmdale School District officials expect to start using an Australian telescope that local youngsters can operate via computers in their classrooms.

The Palmdale Education Foundation last month provided a $5,000 donation to help send a Mount Wilson Observatory telescope education program director to Australia to set up the operation.

``It's taken time to make the arrangements and get all the money put together, but we're there,'' said Felix LeMarinel, foundation president.

A 14-inch telescope has been purchased for about $26,000, and the foundation is raising funds to build the observatory, which will cost between $35,000 and $40,000.

The observatory will be built on farmland about 155 miles outside of Brisbane. The property is owned by an amateur astronomer who lives in Brisbane and is an acquaintance of Gil Clark, director of the Telescopes in Education program at Mount Wilson Observatory.

The foundation or district will pay a monthly fee for an Internet hookup, and will pay the landowner an as-yet undetermined amount to maintain and monitor the telescope, Clark said.

In May, the district announced it was getting $40,000 for the telescope project from state funds secured with the help of Assemblyman George Runner, R-Lancaster. The remainder of the financing will come from funding and grants obtained by the education foundation.

But the project has its critics, including the former Palmdale planetarium director and Australian astronomer who originally came up with the concept of a remotely controlled telescope for use by Antelope Valley children.

John Shobbrook advocated having a 30-inch telescope and has said students will have limited time to use the telescope and will not be able to perform meaningful work under the district's downsized plan.

Clark, who will be in charge of setting up the telescope, defended the district's decision to purchase a smaller telescope.

The Telescopes in Education program provides opportunities for students in grades kindergarten through 12 to remotely control telescopes from classrooms anywhere in the world.

``They will be able to do real science. Of course, a 30-inch is better than a 14-inch one, but we have been doing science on a 14-inch and 24-inch with no problem,'' Clark said. ``It will not be as robust as a 30-inch telescope, but it will certainly have less maintenance issues. It will be less expensive for them to work with.''

Kathe Duren, a vice president with the education foundation, said Shobbrook's plan was too costly.

``This was certainly his vision, but what he envisioned we were simply unable to do. He did have in mind a 30-inch telescope, but the costs involved in that were prohibitive. We couldn't seem to get that scale project off the ground,'' Duren said.

``Through (Clark's) efforts, we were able to put this together. It's a smaller telescope, but it's something he has used in his other projects and is certainly suitable to our needs.''

Both Clark and Duren said that the observatory building with a roll-off roof will have room to house up to four telescopes.

The district had originally planned to lease a telescope in Australia for about $3,000 a year but decided to buy one instead, saying it was more affordable in the long run.

The amateur astronomer on whose land the observatory will be built ``will get access to the Internet from there. We want to set it up to monitor the telescope from Brisbane, and he'll come out every weekend to check (on the telescope),'' Clark said.

Clark, a software engineer, said he designed and developed the world's first remotely controlled telescope. He also is the manager of the Table Mountain Observatory in Wrightwood.

The foundation is holding a fund-raiser barbecue for the telescope project from 6:30 to 10 p.m. Oct. 28 at Barrel Springs School, 36555 Sunny Lane. Members of the Antelope Valley Astronomers Club will be there with telescopes to allow viewing of the night skies.

The event also will feature an auction of a donated painting by local artist Tom Hames. The Palmdale Chamber of Commerce and Wal-Mart are co- sponsoring the event, Duren said.

CAPTION(S):

Shorter version ran in Valley edition, p. 9