[APML] Request for ideas

["Robert Reeves" <reeves10@swbell.net>]

Here we go again.... more astrophotography from the space station.  And I
need
help from you folks with it.

My high-flying astrophotography friend, astronaut Don Pettit, has been
assigned
to a flight crew again and expects to fly back to the ISS in about two
years.

Don achieved some good results last time he was up there, but wants to
improve
on it next time up.  Right now, the ISS crew is limited to Hassleblad and
Nikon cameras.
They have both film Nikon F5s and the Nikon F5 with the Kodak 760 digital
chip.  That
digital Nikon is limited to 30 second expsosures and is quite noisy at that
exposure.  Don
has asked me for advice on what to take up next time to improve his results.

I sugested taking up a Canon D10 or whatever the latest incarnation of that
series is
at the time because they can take lengthy, fairly noise-free images.
However, Don advises
me that whatever he uses must be Nikon lens compatible.  He is planing on
taking a
camera body only in his personal gear and it must work with the basket of
Nikon lenses
already aboard the ISS.  He can also carry some other small astrophoto
related devices
in his luggage, but they must be small.

I am suggesting he take the mother of all collapsable lens shades to kill
the reflections
off the inside of the station windows (the inside of the station is never
fully dark at any
time).  This device would be big enough to shield the entire window.

I am also sugesting they take MegaStar on one of the laptops so he can plan
his
astrophotography around the look angles available out the windows.

However, I am totally in the dark as to the latest generations of Nikon
digital equipment
and don't. know what to advise Don in regards to a camera body.  At the risk
of setting
APML on full tilt by mentioning the word "digital", I am asking APML as a
collective pool
of knowledge to help me out here.  All I hear about in regard to serious
long exposure
astrophotography with digital camera is the Canon D10 and D100.  Is there a
version of
Nikon equipment that will also work well for this?

If anyone wishes to advise me, you can do it off list.  I appreciate any
guidance.

Robert Reeves                +29.484   98.440
reeves10@swbell.net      San Antonio, Texas  USA


_______________________________________________
Astro-Photo mailing list
Astro-Photo@seds.org
http://seds.org/mailman/listinfo/astro-photo