NASA gifted the artifacts to PARI’s Exhibit Gallery. The new exhibits include a section of the Orbiter Wing Leading Edge, an antenna assembly, and other items that have flown in space. The new items on display have an assigned value in excess of $1 million.

The evening’s activities will also include celestial observations using PARI’s optical or radio telescopes. The night sky presentation is part of the monthly “Evening at PARI” series and will be conducted by PARI Astronomer and Educator Bob Hayward. 

He is known as “Dr. Bob” to thousands of school children who have seen his StarLab Planetarium presentations. 

“The clear, cool autumn sky is perfect for observing the wonders of the night sky,” said Hayward, “And I’ll be pointing out how to spot Andromeda, Perseus and Pegasus. I’ll also share the stories surrounding these constellations and how they have been viewed by different cultures.”

The Evening at PARI program will begin with the night sky presentation, followed by a campus tour, a trip to the Exhibit Gallery and an observing session.  The campus is a dark sky location for astronomy and was selected in 1962 by NASA as the site for one of the first U.S. satellite tracking facilities. Today, the 200 acre campus houses radio and optical telescopes, earth science instruments, 30 buildings, a fulltime staff and all the infrastructure necessary to support education and research.

Reservations are required. $20 per adult, $15 for seniors/military and $10 for children under 14. 

www.pari.edu or 828.862.5554.