The twenty-eight foot parabolic dish antenna located at the Fick Observatory has been funded to be brought back into operation as a radio telescope. The Iowa Space Grant Consortium has challenged the senior design team to restore the dish that has been dormant for nearly fifteen years. This includes reworking gearboxes, cleaning and painting of the dish and mount, and replacing the existing coaxial cable. With mechanical details out of the way, the research and design of the receiving system will begin.
The increase in funding and research in radio astronomy has increased
the popularity amongst scientists around the world. The Search for
Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) has also struck a common base in radio
astronomy. With this project it is our hopes to construct a radio
telescope with the existing equipment and additional equipment of our own
design. This radio telescope will allow scientists and researchers
to contiue science and exploration of space in the radio frequencies.