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Community Support for OPT!

Read what our supporters have to say.

Apollo 16 Astronaut

Imagine the creative opportunities available with a telescope accessible over the Internet. Students won’t just read about the sun in a textbook, they actually will photograph solar storms and study their own pictures to learn about our star; or on a visit to the museum, actually witness the rings of Saturn and hurricane storms on Jupiter. Such interactive learning is a vital component of science education.

Charles M. Duke, Jr.
Brigadier General, USAF (Ret.), Apollo 16 Astronaut


Nobel Prizewinner

The educational potential of these facilities is, if I may use the term, astronomical.

Using digital technology, the planetarium will give children, their parents and grandparents an experience of virtual reality, taking them on journeys to the planets, into interstellar and intergalactic space, and even into the universe of molecules and atoms.

The historic Alvan Clark telescope will make it possible for students throughout South Carolina to conduct astronomical observations via the Internet. And the large-film theater will enable people of all ages to enjoy vicariously experiences that most of them would otherwise never have.

Charles H. Townes
Nobel Prizewinner, Inventor of the laser


University of South Carolina
This project could create an educational resource unmatched in many states.

It provides another opportunity for the University of South Carolina and the State Museum to bring greater awareness to science, engineering, and technology among the citizens of South Carolina. Thank you.

John M. Palms
Former President, University of South Carolina


Clemson University
This innovative project will offer students from the elementary grades through graduate school an impressive variety of exciting and intellectually enriching experiences. With this new technology, students will have the opportunity to observe space missions in progress, take virtual reality journeys to the Moon and Mars, and explore the farthest reaches of the Earth. We were especially impressed by your plans to make the observatory accessible to students state wide through the Internet.

I commend the museum on its vision of bringing a world-class, cutting-edge resource for science education to South Carolina.

Steffen H. Rogers
Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost, Clemson University


Benedict College
We believe that this project could create an educational resource of great potential.

I will encourage our Deans to collaborate to make this exciting educational resource a reality in our State.

David H. Swinton
President, Benedict College


South Carolina ETV
We are excited about the idea of connecting the planetarium to the ETV satellite network allowing NASA to broadcast from the space shuttle or the International Space Station. The possibility of transmitting digital images taken through the historic Alvan Clark telescope to classrooms and homes around the state on the internet extends the educational reach of the museum far beyond its walls. Additionally, programs of interest to schools or the general public could originate at both the planetarium and the observatory for broadcast via our satellite system.
We are pleased to endorse your exciting plans.

Ronald L. Schoenherr
Senior Vice President, South Carolina ETV


South Carolina ETV
I have been a believer in the State Museum from the very beginning and certainly can see nothing but good from the future plans. You and your organization have certainly been good stewards of the resources of our state.

Linda J. DuRant
Executive Producer/Director For Instructional Technology, South Carolina ETV