McLean and space : Timeline

McLean and space : Timeline

1950s - Present

present

1957-1958

2010s

1970s-1990s

1960s

1950s

When the Soviet Union launched Sputnik–the first man-made satellite–into Earth’s orbit in 1957, it catapulted the arms race to new heights and ignited the space race. As American paranoia proliferated, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the National Defense Education Act (NDEA), which pushed public schools to prioritize STEM disciplines. Images courtesy of NASA and Politico

1960s

Amidst the talk of astronomy educational enrichment developments in Fairfax County, the McLean Astronomy Club was formed in 1962 to further interest in astronomy in the area and provide opportunities for observation of celestial objects and their movements. The following year students and then Astronomy Club sponsor, Johanna Donaldson, began plans to build an observatory. The student-led project was completed in 1965. At around the same time, FCPS built nine different planetariums across different schools.

1965 McLean Astronomy Club members are pictured, posed next to their completed observation. The observatory still resides in the courtyard today. Image courtesy of McLean High School Yearbook

William F. Readdy

William F. Readdy graduated McLean as part of the class fo 1970. He received his degree in Aerospace Engineering from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1974. He then joined naval aviation and was deployed to the Caribbean and Mediterranean in the USS Coral Sea (an aircraft carrier ship also known as the “ageless carrier”). He transferred to NASA in 1986 leading various efforts and logging 672 hours in space across three different Space Shuttle missions.

2010s

In the early 2010s, the McLean observatory had long blurred into obscurity. The facility was unoperational and the electrical circuitry had been neglected. As the observatory was threatened with closure by FCPS board members, physics teacher Dean Howarth stepped in and unapologetically fought for the refurbishing of the observatory. His efforts succeded, and the observatory still resides in the courtyard to this day when Howarth retired after 31 years of working as a teacher, the McLean observatory was formally renamed the Howarth Observatory to honor his relentless efforts.

Dean Howarth pictured with Jurgen Klenck in front of the McLean Observatory. Image courtesy of InsideNova.

Present-day

Today the McLean Astronomy Club continues to host events to promote interest in the cosmos. This includes monthly observatory nights in the courtyard, as well as weekly meetings.