Photographer: Kevin Stillman

Located within Brazos Bend State Park, the George Observatory was built as a joint project of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, The George Foundation, and the Houston Museum of Natural Sciences. The Observatory, operated by volunteers from area astronomy clubs, consists of three domed telescopes and includes a 36-inch Gueymard Research Telescope, one of the largest telescopes in the nation open to the public on a regular basis. The Gueymard Telescope is open to the public on Saturday evenings and is available by reservation on Friday nights for groups of 30 or more. Gift shop and interpretive center. For information call 979/553-5101, 409/553-3400.

The George Observatory at Brazos Bend State Park houses the Challenger Learning Center for Space Science Education and takes participants on simulated space missions, complete with mission control, and spacecraft simulator. The Challenger Learning Center is a living memorial to the seven Challenger astronauts who lost their lives in 1986. For information call 713/639-4629.