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Observatory Quotes

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Observatory Quotes

“I saw a guy faint at the W. M. Keck Observatory, he stepped out from the tour group and said to me "I'm feeling sick" and then his eyes rolled back and his knees gave way! The group caught him on his way to the ground and he got free emergency medical oxygen for half an hour before being evacuated off the summit by his tour group!!! His friends stated that he was considered the healthiest person in the group while he was gasping for breaths of life on the summit of Mauna Kea! Never saw him again.”

WayLifeGuyFriendsSickBreathsCaughtMedicalKneesFeelingMaunaKeaEyesFreePersonOxygenSummitObservatoryBackGroundGroupAgainKeckEmergencyFaintTourConsideredGaveGaspingEvacuatedRolledStatedSteppedHealthiest
Author:Steven Magee
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“I made the mistake of using my earned sick time at the W. M. Keck Observatory for essential surgery. When I returned to work the management team demanded my resignation numerous times, citing my essential surgery as a reason. The W. M. Keck Observatory taught me that using earned sick time in the USA may put your future employment at significant risk.”

ReasonTimeWorkMistakeRiskTeamTaughtFutureSickManagementSignificantEmploymentUsaSurgeryResignationObservatoryCitingEssentialTimesKeckNumerousUsingReturnedDemanded
Author:Steven Magee
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“When I was growing up, I thought it would be really cool to work at an astronomical observatory. I accomplished that ambition as an adult and worked at the world’s premier astronomical facilities. Unfortunately, my ambitions created the nightmare of ill health and disability. I now campaign for the closure of known biologically toxic astronomical facilities.”

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Author:Steven Magee
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“At the age of 45, most days in Tucson were spent feeling like I was on the summit of Mauna Kea, as I was exhibiting debilitating health symptoms that corresponded to what I saw at very high altitude. I was later to find that I had erratic low blood oxygen levels after almost a decade of high altitude work.”

AgeWorkLevelsBloodHealthAstronomyAltitudeFeelingMaunaKeaSymptomsOxygenSummitHighLikeDaysFindObservatoryMostWhatVeryErraticLowLaterDecadeAstronomerTucsonAlmostSpentSawExhibitingDebilitatingCorresponded
Author:Steven Magee
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“When I worked at the W. M. Keck Observatory on the 13,796 feet very high altitude summit of Mauna Kea, we would routinely be engulfed in cold clouds of helium and nitrogen gas as we discharged it into the video camera systems daily. The management team never warned us that we were in a hazardous oxygen deprived environment during this activity that was known for its ability to adversely affect physical and mental health, and possibly bring on death by asphyxiation.”

DeathEnvironmentTeamHealthColdActivityManagementCloudsVideoGasAltitudeMaunaKeaMentalHawaiiOxygenDeprivedSummitLiquidHighObservatorySystemsDailyPhysicalVeryCameraNitrogenKeckAffectHazardousHeliumAsphyxiationWarnedEngulfedDischargedAdversely
Author:Steven Magee
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“When the National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO) found out that Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) were going to visit the site to assist in bringing it into legal compliance, they freaked out! They insisted that the visit had to be canceled and the result was that I eventually became so sick from the toxic workplace environment that I had no option but to leave.”

EnvironmentHealthSickSafetyAstronomyAdministrationOshaToxicSiteWorkplaceLeaveLegalComplianceObservatoryOutResultAstrophysicsOccupationalAstronomicalVisitOptionAstronomerNationalEventuallyAssistAstrobiologyAstrosociobiologyCanceledNoaoInsistedOpticalFreaked
Author:Steven Magee
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“The biggest surprise that I had during my time in high altitude astronomy was being prevented from arranging a free Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) onsite evaluation to assist with bringing the observatory into OSHA compliance by the upper management team that I reported to.”

TeamHealthManagementSafetySurpriseAstronomyAdministrationOshaAltitudeFreeHighEvaluationComplianceObservatoryArrangingOccupationalBiggestAssistReportedUpperPreventedOnsite
Author:Steven Magee
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“When I was instructed to use medical oxygen to do my job at the W. M. Keck Observatory from 2001 to 2006, I was never told about the legal health information that is now posted on oxygen cylinders. My memories of the green medical oxygen cylinders that we would use daily is that they had no information on them and we were never given a recognised legal oxygen administration training course for routine daily use or a medical prescription from a doctor. We were shown the three oxygen cylinders at the facility and told to use them whenever we developed headaches, which was multiple times daily. It was common to find all three oxygen cylinders in use by other very high altitude workers and to have to line up to get a turn on the magical medical gas.”

UseMemoriesInformationHealthTrainingGreenWorkersMedicalAdministrationOshaGasAltitudeRoutineJobMaunaKeaMultipleOxygenFacilityHighMagicalLegalObservatoryDailyUpFdaVeryTurnKeckCylindersPrescriptionLineCourseDevelopedCdcHeadachesRecognizedInstructedPosted
Author:Steven Magee
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“At the age of 46 I was starting to see the appearance of rainbow halos and starbursts around bright nighttime lights, problems reading small print, focusing issues with my eyes, and image recognition issues. I had been exposed to bright high powered 20 watt scattered sodium LASER light a decade earlier in very high altitude astronomy.”

LightAgeNightTimeReadingIssuesStartingAppearanceAstronomyRecognitionAltitudePrintProblemsExposedEyesRainbowHighSeeImageSmallObservatoryBrightHalosLightsVeryDecadeFocusingSodiumPoweredLaserScatteredEarlierNightimeStarbursts
Author:Steven Magee
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“The most dangerous weather condition that I experienced at high altitude was walking out of the observatory to check on astronomers in another building during a snow blizzard. When I was returning to the observatory the conditions progressed to white out, stranding me in a nighttime snow field. I was only able to return to the safety of the observatory by following my footprints in the snow with the flashlight.”

DangerousSnowWeatherOshaAltitudeAstronomersObservatoryBlizzardFootprintsFlashlight
Author:Steven Magee
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“Snow cleaning of the world's largest telescope mirrors was an impressive sight. The optics technicians would climb into a huge telescopic boom lift and spray immense clouds of cold carbon dioxide snow and gas onto the ten meter diameter mirrors high above the floor indoors. It would cause some of the accumulated dirt to magically fall off, leaving it less dirty.”

WorldHugeColdSightCloudsAstronomySnowDirtyGasImmenseDirtCarbonCleaningImpressiveTelescopeMirrorSprayObservatoryTechniciansAstrophysicsClimbAstronomicalKeckOpticsAstronomerBoomAstrobiologyLiftAstrosociobiologyLargestDioxideAccumulatedMagicallyDiameterTelescopic
Author:Steven Magee
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“I gave a tour to a large group of young students and their teacher at the W. M. Keck Observatory. No one had oxygen administration equipment on. A few hours later I got a phone call stating that one of them had forgotten their backpack. ‘Summit Brain’ I thought. I located the backpack and was able to return it to them, as they were staying near to where I lived. I always wondered what their long term health outcomes were after experiencing ‘Summit Brain’.”

BrainStudentsMaunaKeaOxygenSummitObservatoryKeckTourBackpack
Author:Steven Magee
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