Naval Observatory in Washington

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Naval Observatory in Washington. - M.C. Enrique Ruiz Díaz

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Naval Observatory in Washington.

An Aerial View of Washington, D.C.

VOICE ONE:

The United States Naval Observatory performs an important scientific duty for the United

States, the Navy, and the Department of Defense. This job helps keep America secure. I'm

Mary Tillotson.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Steve Ember. The United States Naval Observatory in Washington, D-C, is our report

today on the VOA Special English program, THIS IS AMERICA.

((THEME))





VOICE ONE:

The purpose of the United States Naval Observatory is to discover the exact position and

motion of the Earth, sun, moon, planets, stars and other space objects. In addition, the

observatory establishes exact time, measures the turning of the Earth, and keeps the MasterClock for the United States.

These astronomical and timing records are very important for the American Navy and

Department of Defense. The Navy uses the information to help boats find their direction

through navigation. The Defense Department needs the information to support

communication on Earth and in space. Also, scientists use the astronomical and timing

records to carry out research linked to the purpose of the Observatory.

VOICE TWO:

People who visit the Naval Observatory can see some surprising things. For example, there

are more than eighty-thousand books related to time and space in the Observatory library.

This is one of the most complete collections of historic and current scientific publications.

The library also serves as a storage area for many rare books and publications dating back to

the fifteenth century. They include works by British mathematician Sir Isaac Newton, who

developed the theory of gravitation. This theory says gravity pulls all objects in the Earth's

atmosphere toward the center of the Earth.

VOICE ONE:

Works written by the Italian scientist Galileo are also stored in the Observatory library.

Galileo discovered the four large moons of Jupiter in the early sixteen-hundreds. The moons

are named Ganymede, Io, Europa and Callisto. They are also sometimes called the Galilean

moons or the Galilean satellites.

Several works written by other famous scientists are also stored at the Naval Observatory.

These include works by German astronomer Johannes Kepler and Polish astronomer

Nicolaus Copernicus. The library mostly serves the needs of scientists who work at the

observatory. However, private researchers are also welcome to use the books.

((MUSIC BRIDGE))

VOICE TWO:

There are several interesting telescopes at the Naval Observatory. The largest telescope at

the Observatory has a glass lens that measures sixty-six centimeters across. This telescope

has an interesting history. It was completed in eighteen-seventy-three at a cost of fifty-

thousand dollars. At that time, it was the largest refracting telescope in the world. Refracting

astronomical telescopes need two lenses to examine images in space.





Alvan Clark made the large lens and a support system for the telescope. He and his two sons

owned a lens building company in the eastern state of Massachusetts.

Visitors to the Naval Observatory can hear how Mister Clark had the glass specially made for

the sixty-six centimeter lens. For two years, he rejected several pieces of glass because theywere not perfect. Finally, he decided on one piece made with two different kinds of glass.

Mister Clark used his hands to rub down and shine the glass into its current shape.

VOICE ONE:

In eighteen-seventy-seven, just four years after the telescope was in place, astronomer

Asaph Hall discovered the two moons of Mars. This discovery of Phobos and Deimos made

the Naval Observatory famous. Mister Hall was honored by many of the world's leading

scientific organizations.

In eighteen-seventy-nine, the astronomer received the Gold Medal of the Royal

Astronomical Society of Great Britain. Members of the Hall family gave the medal to the

Naval Observatory as a gift six years ago.

VOICE TWO:

The family also gave the Observatory a special award given to Mister Hall by President

Abraham Lincoln in eighteen-sixty-four. Visitors can see these two awards and several others

given to Mister Hall in the Observatory library.

Today, Naval Observatory astronomers still use the telescope that Asaph Hall used to makehis famous discovery. They use it to measure stars and the position of the moons of the

furthest planets.

((MUSIC BRIDGE))

VOICE ONE:

The Naval Observatory is one of the oldest scientific agencies in the country. It was first built

in eighteen-thirty in the area of Washington, D-C called Foggy Bottom. At that time, the

agency was called the Depot of Charts and Instruments. It was responsible for the care of allmaps, sea documents and other navigational equipment used by the United States Navy. In

eighteen-forty-four, the responsibilities of the organization increased and it was renamed

the United States Naval Observatory.

The ground at Foggy Bottom was often wet because of flooding along the Potomac River.

The conditions were unhealthy. So in eighteen-ninety-three, the Observatory moved north

to its current area. Richard Morris Hunt designed several of the main buildings on the new

Observatory grounds. He was a famous nineteenth-century American architect.





VOICE TWO:

Today, the most famous building on the grounds of the Observatory is the home of the

American vice president. The house had been built in eighteen-ninety-three for the

supervisor of the Observatory. In nineteen-seventy-four, Congress selected the house to bethe home for all future vice presidents. Before this time, vice presidents either bought a

temporary house in Washington or stayed at hotels.

Vice President Gerald Ford and his wife Betty were the first people permitted to live in the

house. However, the resignation of President Richard Nixon came before repairs on the

house were completed. Instead, the Fords moved into the White House when Gerald Ford

became President.

VOICE ONE:

Mister Ford's vice president, Nelson Rockefeller, was a wealthy man who had his own home

in Washington. Mister Rockefeller did not live in the National Observatory home. Instead, he

used the house mainly as a place to meet special guests. The house finally got its first family

in nineteen-seventy-seven. Walter Mondale and his wife Joan moved in at the beginning of

the administration of President Jimmy Carter. Every vice president since then has lived in the

home on the grounds of the Naval Observatory.

((MUSIC BRIDGE))

VOICE TWO:

The Naval Observatory has many important responsibilities. For example, one main duty is

to declare official time used in the United States. This exact timekeeping is performed with

atomic clocks known as master clocks. The time is correct to within one nanosecond a day.

That is one-thousand-millionth of a second. The United States military uses this exact time to

help with communications and navigation.

VOICE ONE:

The Observatory also produces three very important publications each year. They are The

Astronomical Almanac, The Nautical Almanac and The Air Almanac. These three publicationsinclude exact information about the position of the sun, moon, planets and stars in relation

to air, space and water navigation.

In several years, the Observatory hopes to launch a new satellite space telescope. The

United States space agency, NASA, will take part in the project. The space telescope will be

used to find the position, distance, motion, brightness and color of about forty-million stars

in space. By studying these stars, the Naval Observatory hopes to improve the world's

knowledge of the universe and its size.





VOICE TWO:

People can visit the United States Naval Observatory every other Monday. Visits begin at

night and include a presentation of the history and purpose of the organization. Visitors can

see several historic buildings and the Observatory library. Also, if the weather is clear,visitors can use the Observatory's smaller thirty-centimeter telescope to look at the stars in

space.

((THEME))

VOICE ONE:

This program was written by Jill Moss. It was produced by Caty Weaver. I'm Mary Tillotson.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Steve Ember. Join us again next week for another report about life in the United

States on the VOA Special English program, THIS IS AMERICA.

You can take the audio (mp3) from the next url, or, Request it the teacher, or, go to my

Personal Page.

http://www.unsv.com/voanews/specialenglish/scripts/2002/09/23/0045/

M.C. Enrique Ruiz Díaz.

Con título y cédula profesional 5632071 en la Maestría en Ciencias de la Computación.

Egresado del Instituto Tecnológico de Orizaba, Veracruz, México.








Maps of Washington D.C.





Invitation: Discover The Assortment for you of M.C. Enrique Ruiz

Díaz of Texts of the VOA Special English Program.

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Know the Project: Books of English, from English 1 to 5, for all the

CBTIS of the United Mexican States.

The Students can do the organization as they like it; but

absolutely, the Responses are written by hand, and the Works

are Presented by Groups with a Maximum of 5 persons.

«I formulated a project for the CBTIS (Technological Industrial and of Services Center of

Bachelor Degree) 107 of Tuxtepec, Oax., México consisting in giving to the Library of this

Institution with five volumes of English language, of my authorship. A book for each

semester, from the first English book to fifth English book (according to the plan of studies inthis regard of the CBTIS). At no cost to the Institution, because this is a donation (in the staff,

I solve my expenses of the project with income of my employment as a professor that I would

be in this CBTIS).

One of the major advantages of this project is to solve the need of the student of spending in

books of English language because the books will be at your complete disposal into the

student community in the Library of the institution.

Afterward, in an immediate subsequent phase of this project is that among the student

community of this CBTIS and all the CBTIS of the United Mexican States will have these 5

volumes of English language by means of a page of Google; read it, neither cost nor

restriction to obtain them.

Well, as a last note, I must say that these books will have the format of 'workbook'. This, as

an intelligent work with foundations and then their respective exercises to resolve, into a

concurrent process».

M.C. Enrique Ruiz Díaz.

Con título y cédula profesional 5632071 en la Maestría en Ciencias de la

Computación.Egresado del Instituto Tecnológico de Orizaba, Veracruz, México.





Invitation to my Personal Pages.

«One important key to success is self-confidence. An important key to self-

confidence is preparation».

Arthur Ashe

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Naval Observatory in Washington

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