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‘Premier destination for astronomy education’ reveals smells, sights, patterns of the cosmos.
Marley Foundation CFO Nancy Ball nailed it when she said, “If I were 6 years old, I would definitely spend the day here!” As if to prove her point, 6-year-old Brooks Sedlak of Scottsdale was one of the first to settle in at the Orbits Curiosity Zone of the Marley Foundation Astronomy Discovery Center. “He wants to be an astronaut,” explained his mom, Stephanie.
‘Premier destination for astronomy education’ reveals smells, sights, patterns of the cosmos.
Likewise, hundreds of supporters, businesspeople, community leaders and space enthusiasts of all ages eagerly waited under light snowfall for the grand opening on Saturday morning, Nov. 16.
“Lowell has been bringing out-of-this-world experiences to us since 1894 and Lowell has certainly upped its game with the completion of the Astronomy Discovery Center,” said District 1 Coconino County Supervisor Patrice Horstman to the crowd. “It captures the awe and wonder in each of us. I mean, where else can you go on Earth other than here in Coconino County, Flagstaff, Arizona, here at the Astronomy Discovery Center and discover what it smells like in outer space?”
Whether sweet or repugnant, the aromas, colors and patterns from space fascinated families as they launched rockets, climbed about the space station and set objects afloat in zero gravity.
“How lucky are we to be here today to experience this gift that Lowell Observatory has given to the entire world,” said Flagstaff Mayor Becky Daggett. “As excited as I am for all of you to visit and to look at this, the thing I’m most excited about is the countless school children who will walk through those doors – and especially the children of Flagstaff – because how many kids can say that they grew up believing that they can touch the stars?”
“It’s hard for me truly to grasp the greatness of what is around us,” said Greater Flagstaff Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Julie Pastrick, a former third grade science teacher on the Navajo Nation. “This is a milestone that took a while to get to, but I don’t think it’s ever going to be surpassed in our community. Each and every one of us really appreciates the scientific research and the future use of this facility, which for me, I feel not even one single detail has been left undone. For all of us here, we need to be thankful for our graces. And we are graced more today than almost any other day.”
Public education has been a mission of Percival Lowell’s since he established the observatory in 1894. He built it to study Mars and share his discoveries. He believed the red planet was habitable and that intelligent beings built a canal system that transported water from the planet’s ice caps to crops below. He documented his observations in drawings and books archived at the observatory. But now, with the touch of a button, visitors can get inside Percival’s mind in the Astronomy Gallery.
“What we can do here is see the universe, see our lives with curiosity, imagination and a sense of limitless possibility,” said Lowell Executive Director Amanda Bosh, Ph.D. “Discovery is the heart of Lowell Observatory’s mission – both the demanding work of teasing out the secrets of our solar system and our universe through the research that is done here as well as the opportunity and privilege to share those discoveries with absolutely everybody.”
Arizona Office of Tourism Director Lisa Urias said Flagstaff is the perfect home “for a facility of this scale and grandeur.” She cited a study that projected tourists would spend $5.9 billion through 2029, visiting the Colorado Plateau specifically for dark sky activities.
“Visitors from all over the world come here to experience our dark skies and learn about astronomical discoveries and to behold some of the world’s most remarkable telescopes,” she said. “This [Astronomy Discovery Center] is so important for people around the world and we are so thrilled. Residents will love it. Visitors will love it. And on behalf of the State of Arizona, we’re very happy to be participants in this project and look forward to future partnerships,” she said.
Other special guests speaking during the grand opening included New Horizons Principal Investigator Alan Stern, Ph.D., who led the historic mission to Pluto; retired NASA astronaut Nicole Scott, Ph.D., who spent 104 days in space; astronomer David Levy, Ph.D., who co-discovered the Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 (that collided with Jupiter) with astronomer Carolyn Shoemaker and geologist Gene Shoemaker, Ph.D., of Flagstaff; and, “Outlander” series author Diana Gabaldon, Ph.D., the great granddaughter of Stanley Sykes, who designed, engineered and built the dome to house the telescope used to discover Pluto.
Stern, who flew on a suborbital flight aboard the Virgin Galactic 05 mission last year, talked about the future of artificial intelligence in space, saying it will be able to take data and analyze it onboard a spacecraft and then decide what to do as a follow up.
“When we flew by Pluto, that all took place on one day and the light travel time was such that nobody could react to the data because it took so long – five hours – for the signals to come to Earth. If we’d had AI software on board and had properly trained it and instructed it, it probably could have said, ‘If you see this, do that. If you see that, do this.’ Instead, we had to just blindly take data and see what we got. And unfortunately, there was no second try.”
Scott shared how she described Earth to her 7-year-old son from her view in the International Space Station. “Imagine you’ve got a lightbulb, it’s turned off, and you’ve splattered it with all the colors you know Earth to be. And then you turn it on and it’s the brightest light bulb you’ve ever seen and now you kind of have to adjust your eyes to look at it. It’s just this glowing, iridescent, translucent Earth that you never imagined could be so beautiful and it’s set against the blackest black you’ve ever seen. Just really, really beautiful.”
Grand opening guests to the new $53 million Discovery Center also visited the Planet X Café with indoor and outdoor seating; the Lowell Universe Theater with its curved, wrap-around screen and ceiling screen that together can “place” guests on other planets; and the reclining heated seats of the roof-top Dark Sky Planetarium.
As Lowell’s new executive director, Bosh praised her predecessor Jeff Hall, Ph.D., for his more than three decades of service. “His leadership has inspired countless ideas and laid the groundwork for the incredible milestones that we celebrate here today.”
Lowell Observatory Sole Trustee Lowell Putnam, the great nephew of Percival Lowell, said the observatory made a commitment about a decade ago to create the premier destination for astronomy education in the world.
“That was a lofty goal, but it was also a very powerful vision and it resonated with so many people. The incredible amount of time and wonderful talent that you’ll see in here and the, of course, generosity of treasure have made this an incredible facility that is just an unimaginable combination of art and science. I am pleased and honored to welcome everyone here to the Marley Foundation Astronomy Discovery Center.” FBN
By Bonnie Stevens, FBN
Photo by Bonnie Stevens: Excitement, anticipation and emotion ran high as hundreds of community members, business leaders, elected officials and scientists waited for the opening of what Lowell Putnam called the “premier destination for astronomy education in the world.”
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