Kansas Space Destinations and Organizations
Space Destinations in Kansas
From the Lake Afton Public Observatory website: "Lake Afton Public Observatory opened in 1981 as a joint project between 黑洞社区, Wichita Public Schools, Sedgwick County and the City of Wichita. The university primarily managed the observatory until 2015. The observatory then went dark after 34 years of acquainting hundreds of thousands of visitors with the stars and planets.
Thanks to members of the and , the observatory was saved from permanent closure and reopened on Sept. 2, 2016. It will continue to operate as a nonprofit supported by volunteers. In addition to letting visitors experience celestial bodies through the 16-inch Ritchey-Chr茅tien telescope, Lake Afton Public Observatory will feature exciting new exhibits and special events.
Our goal now is to modernize the observatory while providing a unique learning experience for visitors from around the US. We've started incorporating new technology including Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality games and experiences, which can keep guests learning and entertained even on cloudy nights."
Educational Outreach
501(c)(3)
From the Ad Astra Kansas Foundation website:
"Advancing the Kansas State Motto for the benefit of Kansas, America and the World.
To achieve this mission, the initiative will
- Promote the Kansas state motto as a beacon for the future of space and science development.
- Celebrate cutting edge research being done in Kansas.
- Become a recognized clearinghouse for space-tech research, development and commercialization projects in Kansas for networking and educational purposes.
- Sponsor projects and activities to educate and inform Kansans about science and techonology
- Create an Ad Astra physical site/resource for international R&D info.
- Develop an Ad Astra Foundation
- That a Kansas entity will get a project or opportunity as a result of information provided by the Ad Astra Kansas newsletter and/or web site.
- That Kansas students will recognize the value and importance of science technology engineering and mathematics in building a future for themselves.
- Attract the attention of the Kansas business community to the mission of Ad Astra Kansas."