Hein Hvatum was born in Norway and educated in engineering in Sweden. He came to Green Bank in 1958 as one of our many early research scientists who visited for observing projects. He was hired as staff in 1961 and within the year had become the head of electronics. Hvatum later moved to the Charlottesville, Virginia offices where he headed up development of the 36-foot millimeter-wave telescope on Kitt Peak in Arizona. He served as the NRAO Acting Director in 1984 between Mort Roberts and Paul Vanden Bout. Hvatum led the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) project before retiring in 1987. He frequently enjoyed the challenging 120-mile bicycle journey from Charlottesville to Green Bank.
Green Bank Telescope
The Green Bank Telescope is the world’s largest, fully-steerable telescope. The GBT’s dish is 100-meters by 110-meters in size, covering 2.3 acres of space.
Fred K. Y. Lo
Fred K. Y. Lo was Director of the NRAO from September, 2002 until May of 2012. The successful construction phase of the international ALMA project was the primary focus of his directorship, and he recruited scientists for the North American ALMA Science Center in Charlottesville, Virginia. During his directorship, the anticipated major upgrade to the Very Large Array was completed, including its re-dedication as the Karl G. Jansky VLA. The Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) got a new correlator and receivers, and the Green Bank Telescope (GBT) came into its own.
Frank Drake
Frank Drake was a Harvard-trained radio astronomer who came to NRAO in 1958 as one of our first astronomers in Green Bank, West Virginia. Drake set up our first millimeter-wave telescopes and pioneered the use of radio telescopes in the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI). His Project Ozma used the 85-foot Tatel telescope to observe the stars Tau Ceti and Epsilon Eridani for signs of civilization. None were ever found. Drake is well known for his thought experiment we now call the Drake Equation. It multiplies factors for finding life in our Galaxy based on physical and political variables. The Order of the Dolphin, a group of philosophically-minded scientists that included Nobel Laureate Melvin Calvin and Carl Sagan, convened in Green Bank in 1961 to discuss this equation.
David Heeschen
David Sutphin Heeschen became the third NRAO employee in 1957. Heeschen was Chair of the NRAO Astronomy Department, then NRAO Acting Director from 1961-1962, and finally Director from 1962-1978. Under his Directorship, the 140-foot and 300-foot telescopes and the interferometer were completed in Green Bank, the 36-foot telescope was built in Tucson, and the Very Large Array (VLA) in New Mexico was planned and designed. Heeschen was later Assistant Director for Tucson Operations, Assistant Director for Socorro Operations, and then Acting Project Manager during the initial phases the Green Bank Telescope (GBT) project until his 1991 retirement. To this day, the NRAO follows Heeschen’s “Open Skies” policy, whereby any competent scientist may propose for time on our telescopes.
Center of the Wye
When the Very Large Array (VLA) is at its smallest, nearly one mile across, one can stand in its center where its three arms meet and be greeted by this view. Each dish is 25 meters across — the length of two school buses parked end-to-end.