Work Information

Employed by BAE Systems as a Senior Engineering Specialist, I have 30 years experience in software development and management. BAE Systems, formerly GDE Systems Inc (a Tracor then Marconi company) and General Dynamics Electronics Division, is a major supplier of cartographic systems to the nation's armed forces and governmental agencies. Their web page can be found at www.baesystems.com.

Hot List

• Meade Home Page
• Newton and Kepler Online

Contact Information

Email: FSantore@boulderknollsobservatory.org
Home Location: San Diego County, California
Web address: BoulderKnollsObservatory.org

Current Projects

I have machined an equitorial wedge for my Meade 12" Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope, and am currently duplicating it for my desert site near the Mexican Border. The primary scope is housed in a 10 ft. observatory dome on my 3 acre property north of Escondido California. The site is locate 16.7 miles from the Hale 200" telescope on Mount Palomar.  I'm also in the process of designing azimuth control for the dome, and establishing a piered refractor installation on a parador next to the observatory.  This instrument is a 125cm Borg ED f6.4 refractor on a Losmonday G11 german equatorial mount.

Biographical Information

A native of El Paso, Texas, I have lived in Abilene Texas, Moses Lake Washington, Vandenberg AFB California, San Diego (La Jolla, Del Mar) California, Ansbach Germany, and Escondido California. I received a Bachelors of Art with majors in Applied Physics and Chemistry and a minor in French Literature from the University of California San Diego Revelle College, and have attended the Universite de Bordeaux. My wife Francoise and I have one lovely daughter Laetitia.

Personal Interests

Major life interests include:

• French
• Astronomy
• Apple Personal Computers
• Tennis
• Bicycle Touring
• Amateur Radio
• Classical Guitar / Piano
• '53 Fords