The Earthrise Project

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Essays:

Humanity at a Crossroads (March 2001)

A New Year's Resolution (December 28, 2001)

A Challenge for Humanity (September 11, 2002)

2006 Fundraising Campaign

Coming Soon!

Help us pay off our loan!

The Earthrise Project is a multi-phase endeavor to develop a globally-interconnected network of astronomical educational and research centers that will offer a variety of astronomical and space-related activities for students of all ages and levels. In addition to the enhancement of science education (through the creation of a "learning-by-doing" environment), the ultimate goal of Earthrise is the development of a climate that will encourage its participants to form international and intercultural collaborations. In so doing, we are seeking to utilize the international nature of astronomy as a means to stimulate our students to share in the common humanity with their counterparts throughout the nation and around the world.

The first phase of Earthrise involves the development of the first Earthrise center at a site near Cloudcroft, New Mexico, that is immediately adjacent to the site from which Comet Hale-Bopp was discovered. This site is located within the Lincoln National Forest at an elevation of 7300 feet (2200 meters), with extremely dark skies and as many as 300 clear nights per year. Once this site is operational we expect to be able to offer a wide variety of astronomical programs and activities, both on-site and via remote control. While we hope to the first telescope operational within the near future, we eventually expect to have several telescopes available to Earthrise participants, including some that will be accessible remotely from participating schools and other institutions.

Once this initial Earthrise site is operational we will be partnering with other institutions around the country and around the world to develop additional Earthrise centers, utilizing either existing facilities or, when appropriate, the construction of new facilities. As these additional centers are brought into operation we will be connecting these into the Earthrise network, thereby allowing participating students to form collaborations with their counterparts at the various other centers.

In addition to the global Earthrise network, we envision the holding of semi-regular "Earthrise conferences," which will allow participating students to interact with their counterparts on a face-to-face basis. In doing this we hope to create a bond of friendship between the participating students that they will carry with them as they shape the world of tomorrow.

"Earthrise" takes its name from the images of Earth taken by the Apollo astronauts during their journeys to and from the moon. These images show our planet as a small jewel floating in space, without any political boundaries. It is our hope that, through Earthrise, we can utilize the international nature of astronomy to realize the positive future vision of humanity that is contained within those lovely and unforgettable images.

We invite you to learn more about Earthrise by exploring the links shown at the upper left of this page. We are always looking for organizations and institutions who are interested in collaborating with Earthrise, and we are seeking donations from any interested individuals and organizations who share our vision and who will assist us in continuing to make Earthrise a reality. (Any person who contributes $100 or more to Earthrise will be listed as a Founding Contributor on the appropriate web page and on a plaque to be erected at the first Earthrise center.) If you have any questions or comments about Earthrise, please feel free to contact us.

We came all this way to explore the moon, and the most important thing is that we discovered the Earth.

-- Apollo 8 astronaut William Anders

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