SAN ANTONIO – The Scobee Education Center at San Antonio College (SAC) is celebrating 10 years of serving the community and tracing the stars.
They will be hosting a “Tenth Trip Around the Sun” party from 6 to 10:30 on Nov. 1 at 1198 San Pedro Ave. The tickets are only available on their website and will be $3.
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The center may be best known for the Scobee Planetarium, but it also includes the Challenger Center, the Scanlan Observatory and the recently opened Santikos Micronaut Center. These are designed to inform and inspire students and the community at large in astronomy using science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
The planetarium was originally created in 1961 and went through many additions before being renamed after Dick Scobee, commander of the Challenger Space Shuttle and alumnus of SAC, and eventually being dedicated as the Scobee Education Center on Oct. 31, 2014.
“I think people have always looked our way,” said Rick Varner, director of the Scobee Education Center. “If you are going to look at the stars, you need to include Scobee in the process.”
In a statement, Varner said that thousands of people have been brought to SAC’s campus through Scobee’s astronomical event viewings, like lunar and solar eclipse parties.
The Scobee Education Center has also attracted professionals in the astronomical, science, engineering and medical industries to work there and speak about important research at public events hosted by the center.
Colonel Eileen Collins, a former astronaut and the first woman to pilot a space shuttle, is one prominent example. Two years ago, she spoke at a Girls STEM Summit and Artemis Academy. You can watch the event on the Scobee Education Center YouTube page.
