Dozens of community members gathered at the Scobee Education Center and Planetarium Friday to celebrate 11 years of operation since its building’s renovation in 2014. 

The celebration was open to the public and drew people of all ages to haunt the Scobee in Halloween costumes while enjoying hands-on Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) activities. 

Organizations such as the San Antonio Astronomical Association, the Witte Museum, the UTSA Society of Physics students, the Southwest Research Institute and Astronomy on Tap set up booths and tables. 

“Your STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) concepts are usually a little more frightening for people because it’s so abstract,” Academic Education Specialist and Scobee Flight Director Brooke Strowd said. “To broach the subject, you have to make it fun and break down that barrier that kids are often afraid of.”

Various groups marketing their services hosted activities and provided scientific information and treats for attendees. 

Atticus Zozus, who dressed as an abducted Dorito from a Doritos commercial, won the costume contest. His prize was a Magic Rubik’s Cube. 

Scobee Planetarium Coordinator Michelle Risse hosted a planetarium showing. The show features the San Antonio night sky, the solar system and many constellations and asterisms.

“I enjoy sharing my knowledge with the public and showing my fascination with the wonders of our cosmos,” Risse said. “The planetarium has been a pillar in space education since 1961, so it’s like a legacy to people to say, ‘You want to learn about space?’ Come here.”

Toward the end of the night, Academic Program Specialist Elainie Huncik amazed the crowd with an “Elephant Toothpaste” project.  Huncik poured a mixture of hydrogen peroxide, dish soap, water, yeast and food coloring into a pumpkin, producing a foaming chemical reaction that “exploded” out of the pumpkin. The project left the crowd — predominantly filled with kids K-12 — amazed. 

Although the night was to commemorate 11 years since the Scobee Planetarium and Education Center’s renovation in 2014, the Scobee Planetarium was built in 1961. 

“When President Eisenhower was in office, just a few years after Sputnik was launched, the people of the United States were terrified that the Russians would be spying on them from space and that people in this country didn’t know what they needed to know about science, math and technology,” Scobee Education Center Director Rick Varner said. “It was the beginning of STEM education, and Eisenhower convinced representatives from San Antonio College that one way they could contribute was by having a planetarium at the community college level. In 1961, they built the original dome that’s here in our building, along with the chemistry and geology building.”

The Scobee Planetarium, named after SAC alumnus, astronaut and commander of the space shuttle Challenger Francis Scobee, opened to the public Oct. 1, 1961. Renovation to expand the facility began in 2012 and concluded Oct. 31, 2014 when it was reopened. 

The renovation included updating the technology and projectors in the planetarium, building, expanding the Scobee building, adding a Challenger station for space simulation missions, and many other improvements and upgrades to enhance the learning experience. 

“Our business is meant to be an inspiration,” Varner said. “We are inspiring kids, and in some cases their parents, to broaden their horizons and to consider that they can go to college where they may not have considered it before. 

Varner said community engagement, outreach and recruiting new students are big parts of the Scobee Center’s mission. 

“Kids are natural scientists,” Varner said. “If we can feed that inspiration and make them lifelong learners, then it’s a natural progression for them to hopefully launch into college.”

The Scobee Education Center and Planetarium is reserved by schools and community groups Monday through Thursday, but the buildings open to the public with planetarium showings on Friday evenings at 6, 8 and 9:30 p.m. Tickets for the planetarium range from $3 to $5. Students and faculty receive a discount. 

Information about upcoming events and announcements can be found on the SAC Scobee Education Center and Planetarium website.

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