The Roger B. Chaffee Planetarium, named for astronaut Roger B. Chaffee, was constructed in the early 1960's as part of the Public Museum of Grand Rapids. Initially featuring a 30-foot plaster dome and a Goto Optics mechanical star projector. U.S. Space Shuttle astronaut Bruce McCandless II using a manned maneuvering unit (MMU) outside the Challenger in 1984. ... Roger Chaffee Roger Bruce Chaffee (February 15, 1935 - January 27, 1967) was a U.S. Navy pilot who became an American astronaut in the Apollo program. ... The National Gallery in London, a famous museum. ... Grand Rapids is the name of several places in the United States of America: Grand Rapids, Michigan Grand Rapids, Minnesota Grand Rapids, Ohio Grand Rapids, Wisconsin is the former name of Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin Grand Rapids is also the name of a town in Canada: Grand Rapids, Manitoba. ... // Gypsum plaster Plaster of Paris, or simply plaster, is a type of building material based on calcium sulfate hemihydrate, nominally (CaSO4)2*H2O. It is created by heating gypsum to about 150°C, 2(CaSO4 · 2H2O) → (CaSO4)2 · H2O + 3 H2O (released as steam). ...

According to newspaper articles from the period, the initial projector purchase from Goto was malfunctioning and was replaced before the Planetarium opened. Among its first shows was "Star of Wonder," an astronomical attempt at an explaination of the Star of Bethlehem. The show received positive reviews in the Grand Rapids area and remained in the Chaffee's catalogue for several years. The sky over Bethlehem at the time of Jesus. ...

The Chaffee, then known as the Planetarium of the Public Museum of Grand Rapids, came under the curatorship of David L. DeBruyn in 1963. A young man fresh out of college at the University of Michigan DeBruyn helped found the Great Lakes Planetarium Association in 1965, hosting the first meeting in Grand Rapids. In 1967 the theater was dedicated as the Roger B. Chaffee Planetarium, following the death of the astronaut. This article is about the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. ... Apollo One is the name given to the Apollo/Saturn 204 (AS-204) spacecraft after it was destroyed by fire during a training exercise on January 27, 1967, at Pad 34 atop a Saturn IB rocket. ... U.S. Space Shuttle astronaut Bruce McCandless II using a manned maneuvering unit (MMU) outside the Challenger in 1984. ...

During the late 1960's and early 1970's, the the Grand Rapids Amateur Astronomical Association began a project to construct a new dark sky observatory in the Grand Rapids area. A site was leased to them on Kissing Rock Hill and the James C. Veen Observatory was constructed by the Association members, with some funding and support from the Public Museum and Chaffee Planetarium. Today the Veen remains tied to the museum and the Chaffee. Moletai Astronomical Observatory An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial and/or celestial events. ... James C. Veen Observatory is an astronomical observatory owned and operated by the Grand Rapids Amateur Astronomical Association. ...

In 1994 the planetarium was relocated to a new facility, along with the entire museum, where it would feature a new 50-foot aluminum dome and the state-of the art projection system: a prototype of the Evans and Sutherland Digistar II digital star projector, running on Digistar software. Within a few years this was upgraded to software for Digistar II. The system also features three Sony video projectors, a Barco video projector, scores of Kodak ektagraphic slide projectors and even more special effect projectors and devices. The planetarium is well known for its many educational programs, as well as its unique library of laser light shows, many programmed at the Chaffee itself, making use of the unique effects of the Chaffee and innovative and original digistar programming. 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International year of the Family. ... Aluminum is a soft and lightweight metal with a dull silvery appearance, due to a thin layer of oxidation that forms quickly when it is exposed to air. ... Evans & Sutherland is a computer firm involved in the computer graphics field. ... Sony is a Japanese leading manufacturer of audio, video, communications, and information technology products for the consumer and professional markets. ... Barco N.V. (Euronext: BAR) is a display hardware manufacturer specialising in CRT projectors, LCD projectors, DLP projectors, LED displays and flat panel displays. ... Eastman Kodak Company (NYSE: EK) is a large multinational public company producing photographic equipment. ...

Visiting the Planetarium is a popular activity for students of all ages in Grand Rapids and across Michigan, from preschoolers who learn about the cycles of day and night, to elementary students styding the solar system and stars, up to high schoolers and even college students focused on the more mysterious wonders of the universe. The Chaffee also draws in visitors to its educational public shows, especially its informal "Under Starlit Skies" descriptive astronomy lectures and spectacular laser light shows. A day (symbol: d) is a unit of time equal to 24 hours. ... Melbourne skyline at night Night or Nighttime is the period in which the Sun is below the horizon. ... Presentation of the solar system (not to scale) The solar system comprises the Earths Sun and the retinue of celestial objects gravitationally bound to it. ... For alternate meanings see star (disambiguation) Hundreds of stars are visible in this image taken by the Hubble Space Telescope of the Sagittarius Star Cloud in the Milky Way Galaxy. ...

The Chaffee remains a member of the Great Lakes Planetarium Association, and as of 1995 began hosting conferences on the decennial anniversaries, and is currently (as it has been for the past forty years) under the curatorship of David L. DeBruyn. ə