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Legacy Observatory & Telescope Project
When the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) approached the Colorado Springs Astronomical Society (CSASTRO) about donating their historical Apollo-era 24 Inch Boller & Chivens Cassegrain telescope to us for use in expanding astronomy and Science, Technology, Engineering, Math (STEM) outreach in the Pikes Peak region, we couldn’t say “YES!” fast enough!
This Boller & Chivens was cutting-edge Cold War scientific research technology when it was purchased in 1965 by the United States Air Force and installed at the Cambridge Research Laboratory on Hanscom Air Force Base in Massachusetts. There it was used in pursuit of President John F. Kennedy’s goal of “putting a man on the moon by the end of the decade”, specifically for scouting and evaluating acceptable landing sites for the Apollo 11 and follow-on missions. Since being moved to the USAFA in 1978, the Boller & Chivens has for 40+ years served generations of Air Force cadets as part of the Astronomical Research Group and Observatory (ARGO) performing near-Earth research including resolved and non-resolved space object tracking, deep-space research including asteroid tracking, astronomical spectroscopy and photometry, and exoplanet studies.
CSASTRO is absolutely thrilled to be the recipient of this tremendous donation and we are now raising funds to build a new home for it in the Colorado Springs area, an astronomical observatory (The Legacy Observatory) to facilitate community and member outreach and encourage STEM education. In doing so we will increase understanding of the science of astronomy, foster interest in young people in becoming scientists, and develop an appreciation by our community members for continued research into understanding the universe we live in. It will also allow members of the public to experience, hands-on and through their own eyes, a historical artifact from the United States space program’s push to be the first country to put a man on the moon.
Since 1993, CSASTRO has promoted and stimulated amateur astronomy at locations throughout the Pikes Peak region by sharing knowledge and equipment through a phenomenal year-round public outreach program of observing events, seminars, meetings, workshops, guest speakers, publications, and free demonstrations. Our social media platforms have a combined 3.4K+ followers with an estimated reach of 15K; we’ve successfully embraced the current “virtual” culture with on-line astronomy meetings, remote viewing star parties, and virtual social get-togethers just so members can see each other and talk astronomy. CSASTRO is also a proud long-standing member of both the Astronomical League and International Dark Sky Association.
As a 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organization, CSASTRO raises funds throughout the year in support of these objectives. In addition to volunteering their own time and astronomy equipment for public outreach, our approximately 195 members have also supported professional research efforts through the collection and analysis of data to determine the physical characteristics of asteroids, the nature of variable stars, and the detection and characterization of exoplanets. We have helped advanced the science of astronomy and related technical fields both autonomously and in cooperation with similar organizations, observatories, astronomers, and other groups interested in astronomy.
According to the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory Night Sky Network “Star” registry of U.S. astronomy clubs, in 2018 CSASTRO was ranked 5th in the nation for astronomy outreach programs (as determined by the annual volume of STEM events and participants). In 2019, CSASTRO held 108 events and had over 15,280 people participate in our programs! During the same year, our members volunteered more than 1.4K hours of their time.
CSASTRO has diligently researched the facility design and location requirements needed to make the Legacy Observatory a truly outstanding astronomy and science facility for Colorado. We are in negotiations with several partners in the Colorado Springs area, and hope to have an exciting announcement late 2020/early 2021!
Your donation will greatly enhance our overall objectives and aid in reaching our goal of expanding our outreach program’s ability to reach thousands of more people. We’re very proud to say that we have 100% Board and Trustee participation and contributions in this fundraising effort, with over $21K donated internally as of August 22, 2020 … but we still have a long way to go towards our goal of $375,000!
The images below are conceptual designs of the observatory:
This Boller & Chivens was cutting-edge Cold War scientific research technology when it was purchased in 1965 by the United States Air Force and installed at the Cambridge Research Laboratory on Hanscom Air Force Base in Massachusetts. There it was used in pursuit of President John F. Kennedy’s goal of “putting a man on the moon by the end of the decade”, specifically for scouting and evaluating acceptable landing sites for the Apollo 11 and follow-on missions. Since being moved to the USAFA in 1978, the Boller & Chivens has for 40+ years served generations of Air Force cadets as part of the Astronomical Research Group and Observatory (ARGO) performing near-Earth research including resolved and non-resolved space object tracking, deep-space research including asteroid tracking, astronomical spectroscopy and photometry, and exoplanet studies.
CSASTRO is absolutely thrilled to be the recipient of this tremendous donation and we are now raising funds to build a new home for it in the Colorado Springs area, an astronomical observatory (The Legacy Observatory) to facilitate community and member outreach and encourage STEM education. In doing so we will increase understanding of the science of astronomy, foster interest in young people in becoming scientists, and develop an appreciation by our community members for continued research into understanding the universe we live in. It will also allow members of the public to experience, hands-on and through their own eyes, a historical artifact from the United States space program’s push to be the first country to put a man on the moon.
Since 1993, CSASTRO has promoted and stimulated amateur astronomy at locations throughout the Pikes Peak region by sharing knowledge and equipment through a phenomenal year-round public outreach program of observing events, seminars, meetings, workshops, guest speakers, publications, and free demonstrations. Our social media platforms have a combined 3.4K+ followers with an estimated reach of 15K; we’ve successfully embraced the current “virtual” culture with on-line astronomy meetings, remote viewing star parties, and virtual social get-togethers just so members can see each other and talk astronomy. CSASTRO is also a proud long-standing member of both the Astronomical League and International Dark Sky Association.
As a 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organization, CSASTRO raises funds throughout the year in support of these objectives. In addition to volunteering their own time and astronomy equipment for public outreach, our approximately 195 members have also supported professional research efforts through the collection and analysis of data to determine the physical characteristics of asteroids, the nature of variable stars, and the detection and characterization of exoplanets. We have helped advanced the science of astronomy and related technical fields both autonomously and in cooperation with similar organizations, observatories, astronomers, and other groups interested in astronomy.
According to the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory Night Sky Network “Star” registry of U.S. astronomy clubs, in 2018 CSASTRO was ranked 5th in the nation for astronomy outreach programs (as determined by the annual volume of STEM events and participants). In 2019, CSASTRO held 108 events and had over 15,280 people participate in our programs! During the same year, our members volunteered more than 1.4K hours of their time.
CSASTRO has diligently researched the facility design and location requirements needed to make the Legacy Observatory a truly outstanding astronomy and science facility for Colorado. We are in negotiations with several partners in the Colorado Springs area, and hope to have an exciting announcement late 2020/early 2021!
Your donation will greatly enhance our overall objectives and aid in reaching our goal of expanding our outreach program’s ability to reach thousands of more people. We’re very proud to say that we have 100% Board and Trustee participation and contributions in this fundraising effort, with over $21K donated internally as of August 22, 2020 … but we still have a long way to go towards our goal of $375,000!
The images below are conceptual designs of the observatory:
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