Performance Improvement and Application Plan of the Radio Telescope of Gwacheon National Science Museum

국립과천과학관 전파망원경 성능개선 및 활용방안

Gwacheon National Science Museum(GNSM) has a 7.2m radio telescope, which is only one possessed by a science museum in Korea. In 2020, performance of the telescope had been improved in the way of a new antenna control system, receiver system, control and analysis software. New AC motors, limiters and encoders was installed and the new receive system can observe L-band(1.4GHz) and S-band(2.8GHz), L-band and Ka-band(33GHz) equipped previously. Using theses upgraded system we have developed educational programs, which are 'The Sun seen in radio' and 'The Universe seen in radio'. In the former, the sun is observed with several methods and show analysed data to participants. In the latter, various radio sources, the moon, supernova remnants and HI gas, and even signal from artificial satellites are observed. In addition, SETI demo data can be shown and demonstrates how to find artificial signal extraterrestrial intelligence could send.