While Planetarium Is Closed, Friends Group Continues Mission

ARLINGTON, VA -- What better way to honor the memory of naturalist Charles Darwin than to answer some trivia questions and listen to comical robots make fun of the classic sci-fi film "The Giant Gila Monster"?

The Friends of the David M. Brown Planetarium certainly thinks so. That's why they're celebrating Darwin Day by hosting a Darwin Trivia & MST3K Movie Night, Saturday, Feb. 8, at Arlington Mill Community Center, Room 418, 909 S. Dinwiddie St. The doors open at 7:15 p.m. and the program begins at 7:30 p.m. Admission is $5.

A schlocky sci-fi flick and trivia contest seem like an odd fit for a non-profit dedicated to Arlington's planetarium, but this is just another opportunity for the volunteer group to keep the planetarium in the public's mind while it's temporarily closed.

"We try to offer unique offerings to a variety of different audiences, but science fiction is what is behind Star Wars, Star Trek and some of that visionary thinking of what the world will be like in the future," said Carolyn Lange, president of the Friends of the Planetarium. "So, a lot of people who like science also like science fiction and like Mystery Science Theater 3000. That was the reason behind it. We're trying to cater to a variety of customers."

The planetarium is named for the late NASA astronaut David M. Brown, an Arlington native who attended McKinley Elementary, Swanson Middle and Yorktown High schools. Brown died in February 2003 when the Space Shuttle Columbia exploded as it re-entered Earth's atmosphere.

A magnet for school field trips from around the region, the planetarium, located at 1426 N. Quincy St., is owned by Arlington County Public Schools. An adjacent building is currently undergoing a renovation, so ACPS opted to close the facility temporarily on Nov. 27, 2019 in the interest of safety. It's due to be reopen in time to welcome students in September 2021.

In the meantime, the Friends of the Planetarium group remains active and is dedicated to maintaining an awareness of the planetarium and promote science enrichment throughout the Arlington community.

It does that in number of ways. First, the Friends of the Planetarium offers grants for supplemental science, math, engineering and technology training. If a teacher wants to do a special course and doesn't have the funding to pay for it, they can apply for a grant to get that funding. It also provides scholarships for high school seniors who want to go into science. But the primary function of the group is to host enrichment weekends on a variety of topics.

"We hold these enrichment weekends where anybody in the community can come and learn more about science," Lange said. "Some of it's targeted towards adults. We've had 93-year-old people there. We've had 2-year olds there. It runs the gamut as far as our program's target, young or old. But anybody is welcome. It's basically trying to enrich the communities education."

So, while the planetarium is closed, the Friends group will continue to host enrichment weekends at a variety of locales around the county, such as the Arlington Mill Community Center on Saturday.

For more information about upcoming enrichment weekends and how to make a donation to the Friends of the David M. Brown Planetarium, visit the group's official website.

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