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1998 | ||||||
Space Adventures, Ltd. welcomed home today members of its Australian Outback Eclipse Expedition, each bringing home the fresh memories of their unforgettable experience: witnessing the splendor of a total solar eclipse.
Arriving in Adelaide on December 1, the expedition toured some of Australia's most distinct destinations, including Kangaroo Island, Woomera Rocket Range, the 'Corridors of Time', and the Outback.
On December 3, the group arrived at Woomera Rocket Range, home to the Cangaroo II Gamma Ray telescopes, the historic European Launcher Development Organization (ELDO) rocket launch sites, and the Large Scale Explosive Test Area (LSETA). Participants also visited the planned launch site of Kistler Aerospace as well as several active launch complexes.
The following day came the moment everyone was waiting for: the eclipse! After a lecture by Dr. Sam Durrance, Space Adventures' guest astronaut, the participants witnessed the spectacular 26-second total solar eclipse just before sunset.
"In the smoothly varying colors of the sky, above the vast, starkly empty Outback, in a pool of darkness with bright desert at the horizon, above all this hangs a brilliant streaming solar corona, wrapped around an incredible dark circle," remarked Eric Dahlstrom, expedition member.
"What an incredible, amazing sight! A total solar eclipse is one of the most fantastic experiences - the 2002 Australian eclipse was especially beautiful, with the sun setting, still-eclipsed. Thanks to Space Adventures for organizing a flawless, memorable trip," said Eric Tilenius, expedition member.
After the successful viewing of the solar eclipse, the group spent several days exploring the Australian countryside before returning home.
Space Adventures, Ltd., the world's leading space tourism company, offers a wide range of space experiences, from zero-gravity and edge of space flights, cosmonaut training and space flight qualification programs, to actual flights into space. Headquartered in Arlington, VA and with an office in Moscow, Russia, Space Adventures is the only company to successfully launch private individuals to the International Space Station. For more information, call 1-703-524-7172.
