Marley Foundation CFO Nancy Ball said, “If I was 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 residents of the Orbitz Curiosity Zone at the Murray Foundation Astronomy Discovery Center. “He wants to be an astronaut,” his mother Stephanie explained.

Similarly, hundreds of supporters, businesspeople, community leaders, and space enthusiasts of all ages awaited the grand opening on Saturday morning, November 16th, despite a light snowfall.

“Lowell has been bringing us out-of-this-world experiences since 1894, and with the completion of the Astronomy Discovery Center, Lowell has certainly stepped up its game,” Coconino County District 1 Supervisor Patrice Horstmann told the crowd. “It captures the awe and wonder within each of us. I mean, where else on Earth could you go to discover the smell of space than here in Coconino County, Flagstaff, Arizona, at the Astronomy Discovery Center?” ”

Sweet or unpleasant, the scents, colors, and patterns from space have captivated families who launch rockets, climb space stations, and levitate objects in zero gravity.

“We are so fortunate to be here today and experience this gift that Lowell Observatory has given to the entire world,” said Flagstaff Mayor Becky Daggett. “As excited as you are to visit and see this, what I’m most excited about is the countless school children who will walk through these doors, especially the children of Flagstaff. You say they grew up believing they could touch the stars?”

“It’s hard to truly appreciate the greatness of what’s all around us,” said Julie, president and CEO of the Greater Flagstaff Chamber of Commerce, a former third-grade physiology teacher on the Navajo Nation.・Mr. Pastorik said. “This is a milestone that has taken some time to reach, but one that I believe our community will never surpass. Each of us is deeply grateful for the scientific research and continued use of this facility.” For me, I feel like there’s nothing left undone. All of us here need to be grateful for our blessings. I am benefiting more than that.”

Public education has been Percival Lowell’s mission since he founded the observatory in 1894. He built an observatory to study Mars and share his discoveries. He believed that the Red Planet was habitable and that intelligent life had built a system of canals that carried water from the planet’s ice sheets to crops below. He recorded his observations in drawings and books kept at the observatory. But now, with the push of a button, visitors can step inside Percival’s mind in the Astronomy Gallery.

“What we can do here is to observe the universe and our lives with curiosity, imagination, and a sense of limitless possibility,” said Lowell Executive Director Dr. Amanda Bosch. “Discovery is at the heart of Lowell Observatory’s mission, and while it is the difficult work of uncovering the secrets of our solar system and universe through the research conducted here, it is also the opportunity and privilege to share those discoveries with all. there is.”

Arizona Department of Tourism Director Lisa Urias said Flagstaff is “the perfect location for a facility of this size and grandeur.” She cited a study predicting that tourists visiting the Colorado Plateau specifically for dark-sky activities will spend $5.9 billion by 2029.

““Visitors from all over the world come here to experience dark skies, learn about astronomical discoveries and see some of the world’s most remarkable telescopes,” she said. “this [Astronomy Discovery Center] This is very important to people all over the world and we are very excited. Residents will love it too. Your visitors will love it! And on behalf of the state of Arizona, we are thrilled to be a part of this project and look forward to our future partnership,” she said.

Other special guests who spoke at the grand opening included New Horizons Principal Investigator Dr. Alan Stern, who led the historic mission to Pluto. Former NASA astronaut Dr. Nicole Scott spent 104 days in space. Astronomer Dr. David Levy, who discovered Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 (which hit Jupiter) with Flagstaff astronomer Carolyn Shoemaker and geologist Dr. Gene Shoemaker. And Dr. Diana Gabaldon, author of the Outlander series, is the great-granddaughter of Stanley Sykes, who designed, engineered, and built the dome that housed the telescope used to discover Pluto.

Stern, who participated in Virgin Galactic 05’s suborbital flight last year, spoke about the future of artificial intelligence in space, which will be able to capture and analyze data onboard the spacecraft and then decide what to do with it. He said it would be. above.

“When we passed Pluto, it all happened in one day, and the light travel time meant no one could react to the data because it took a very long time, five hours, for the signal to reach Earth. . If we had AI software on board and trained and directed it properly, we could probably say, “If you see this, do this.” Please do this when you see it. ” Instead, I had to just blindly grab the data and see what I could get. And unfortunately, there was no second attempt. ”

Scott talked about how he explained to his 7-year-old son what the Earth looks like from the International Space Station. “Imagine you have a light bulb and it’s off and every color known to the earth is splashed across the light bulb. Then you flip the switch and it’s the brightest light bulb you’ve ever seen. You’ll have to adjust your eyes to see it because it’s this sparkling, iridescent, translucent earth that you never imagined could be so beautiful. It’s the blackest black background I’ve ever seen. It’s really, really beautiful.”

Guests at the new $53 million Discovery Center’s grand opening also visited Planet X Cafe, which features indoor and outdoor seating. The Lowell Universe Theater features curved wraparound and ceiling screens that allow guests to be “placed” on other planets. The reclining seats in the rooftop Dark Sky Planetarium are heated.

As Lowell’s new executive director, Bosch praised his predecessor, Dr. Jeff Hall, for his more than 30 years of service. “His leadership generated countless ideas and laid the foundation for the incredible milestones we celebrate here today.”

Lowell Putnam (nephew of Percival Lowell), Lowell Observatory’s sole director, said the observatory made a commitment nearly 10 years ago to create the world’s premier destination for astronomy education. .

“It was a lofty goal, but it was also a very powerful vision that resonated with many people. The incredible amount of time, incredible talent, and, of course, the generous treasures that we see here make this an incredible facility, an unimaginable combination of art and science. It is my pleasure and honor to welcome you to the Marley Foundation Astronomy Discovery Center. ” FBN

Bonnie Stevens, FBN

Photo by Bonnie Stevens: Excitement, anticipation, and emotion abound as hundreds of community members, business leaders, elected officials, and scientists await the opening of what Lowell Putnam calls “the world’s premier astronomy education destination.” I felt elated.