Roger B. Chaffee Planetarium facts for kids
The Roger B. Chaffee Planetarium is a special place where you can learn about space and stars. It's named after Roger B. Chaffee, a brave astronaut. This planetarium was built in the early 1960s. It is part of the Grand Rapids Public Museum.
When it first opened, the planetarium had a 30-foot (9.1 m) dome made of plaster. It used a special machine called a Goto Optics mechanical star projector to show stars. One of its first shows was "Star of Wonder." This show tried to explain the Star of Bethlehem using science. People in Grand Rapids really liked it!
Contents
Early Years and Dedication
In 1964, David L. DeBruyn became the person in charge of the planetarium. He had just finished college at the University of Michigan. David helped start the Great Lakes Planetarium Association in 1965. The first meeting of this group was held right in Grand Rapids.
In 1967, the planetarium was officially named the Roger B. Chaffee Planetarium. This happened after astronaut Roger B. Chaffee sadly passed away during the Apollo 1 mission.
Connecting with the Stars
In the late 1960s, a group called the Grand Rapids Amateur Astronomical Association started building a new observatory. An observatory is a place with powerful telescopes to look at the night sky. They built the James C. Veen Observatory on Kissing Rock Hill. The Public Museum and the Chaffee Planetarium helped them. Even today, the Veen Observatory is connected to the museum and the Chaffee Planetarium.
A New Home and New Technology
In 1994, the planetarium moved to a brand new building with the rest of the museum. This new home brought many exciting changes!
Bigger Dome and Digital Projectors
The new planetarium got a much bigger dome, 50 feet (15 m) wide, made of aluminum. It also received a very advanced projection system. This system was a special early version of the Evans and Sutherland Digistar II digital star projector. It used special software called Digistar. Later, this software was updated to work even better.
The system also uses three Sony video projectors and a Barco video projector. It has many Kodak ektagraphic slide projectors. Plus, there are even more special effect projectors!
Amazing Laser Light Shows
The Chaffee Planetarium is famous for its many educational programs. It's also well-known for its unique collection of laser light shows. Many of these shows are created right at the Chaffee. They use the planetarium's special effects and creative Digistar programming.
Learning and Fun for Everyone
Visiting the planetarium is a very popular activity for students in Grand Rapids and all over Michigan.
Educational Programs
- Young children, like preschoolers, learn about day and night cycles.
- Elementary students explore the solar system and stars.
- Older students, including high school and college students, discover more mysterious parts of the universe.
Public Shows
The Chaffee Planetarium also has public shows for everyone. These include informal "Under Starlit Skies" lectures, which teach about descriptive astronomy. And, of course, there are the spectacular laser light shows!
Recent Updates
The Chaffee Planetarium is still a member of the Great Lakes Planetarium Association. Since 1995, it has hosted conferences every ten years. David L. DeBruyn, who was in charge for 40 years, retired in 2003. He still helps out as a volunteer advisor.
In 2014, the planetarium received a big upgrade worth 1.2 million dollars. This helped make the shows and experience even better!
