Astronomy Day
Astronomy Day News Release 2
Last Updated on Wednesday, 12 October 2011 22:27
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Melissa Snider
256-684-9036
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VON BRAUN’S PLAYGROUND CELEBRATES GRAND REOPENING
Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle will lead ribbon-cutting Saturday, October 15
On Saturday, October 15 at 1pm, the Von Braun Astronomical Society will celebrate its Grand Reopening with a ribbon cutting ceremony to mark major renovations of all three buildings. Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle will lead the ribbon-cutting with NASA Discovery and New Frontiers Program Manager Todd May and Architect Perrin Ehlinger. VBAS President Tom Burleson and Past President Al Reisz will officiate.
Von Braun’s “Astronomy Playground” in Monte Sano State Park hosted 10,000 visitors in its first decade of operation (1956-1966). The Von Braun Astronomical Society continues to offer public and private educational programs at the facility about twice a week, hosting an average of 1,500 visitors each year.
To keep pace with the steady flow of traffic from families, school groups and research astronomers, VBAS has completed the first stage of a major facility upgrade. The observatory facilities have a new roof and a newly-equipped computer control room for the historic 21” inch telescope first installed in the 1960’s. The telescope upgrades allow visitors to see telescope objects on a large computer screen in the observatory lobby. The planetarium boasts an upgraded star projector that displays an idealized view of the night sky on the domed ceiling.
Additional renovations will allow VBAS to meet current codes for building accessibility and increase public satisfaction with indoor and outdoor astronomy programs. Plans include a larger lobby, updated restroom facilities and astronomy-friendly lighting in pedestrian areas. “Our founding members volunteered thousands of hours to make this facility available as a resource for the entire Southeast,” says VBAS spokesperson Melissa Snider. “They were never finished, but always had another big plan. It’s our job to keep improving and always offer the best tools for astronomy education and research.”
The Grand Reopening is part of Astronomy Day, a family festival to be held at the VBAS facilities in Monte Sano State Park on October 15 from 1-10pm.
The Von Braun Astronomical Society (VBAS) is an educational, scientific, nonpolitical and nonprofit organization dedicated to the promotion of interest in the descriptive and technical phases of Astronomy and to encourage participation in observational, computational and applied phases of this and related sciences.
VBAS was founded in 1954 as the Rocket City Astronomical Association (RCAA) by Dr. Wernher von Braun and other Huntsville scientists, who envisioned a place to conduct meaningful scientific research and share astronomy with the community. The VBAS facilities include a planetarium dome constructed from Saturn V support hardware and many other unique architectural features.
