Mykel Del Angel 
PHOTO COURTESY SOUTH TEXAS ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY
Brownsville residents have the opportunity to learn about the science and potential business ideas related to space during a weeklong global celebration that starts Saturday.
According to the World Space Week website, the weeklong event is an international celebration of science and technology.
In 1999, the United Nations General Assembly designated Oct. 4 to 10 as the dates for the celebration. The dates were selected in observance of the Oct. 4, 1957, launch of the first human-made Earth satellite, Sputnik 1, and for the Oct. 10, 1967, signing of the Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of State in the Exploration and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space.
“World Space Week is just a celebration and a reminder that astronomy is just as important to the Valley as is any other innovation, such as engineering, agriculture [and] manufacturing,” said Lizzie Flores, executive director for the South Texas Astronomical Society (STARS).
Brownsville Community Improvement Corporation (BCIC) and STARS will host events throughout the week that highlight the Rio Grande Valley’s role in space science and innovation.
STARS is a nonprofit organization dedicated to igniting curiosity with STEM education and outreach, according to its website. The organization will kick off its programming Saturday with “International Observe the Moon Night” in the Brownsville Public Library-Southmost Branch.
The event will feature telescope viewings, STEM activities and an astrophotography gallery. STARS will also host a “Cosmic Trivia Night” Friday at Pluton Brewery, located at 805 E. Elizabeth St. in Brownsville.
“World Space Week, as we have it right now, is very much important to world space celebrations, especially because of our previous institution, [University of Texas at Brownsville], were very much involved in some Nobel-prize-winning discoveries of gravitational waves about 10 years ago,” Flores said. “Through our events, we try to remind the community that research and innovation in astronomy has happened here in the Valley and continues today.”
BCIC will host its first “Space Accelerator Launch Day” Thursday in the eBridge Center for Business and Commercialization, which is located at 1304 E. Adams St. in Brownsville.
The event is the culmination of a nine-week program that will feature local startups presenting their business ideas connected to the space industry.
BCIC partnered with the Space Foundation and Cameron County to host the program.
“This is their pitch event,” said Nathan Burkhart, BCIC vice president for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. “They’ll showcase their work to the community and a panel of judges with the opportunity to apply for up to a $10,000 reimbursable grant.”
Burkhart said it is important to make sure South Texas has a place in the growing space economy.
“When you think of NASA or space, you have to think of Texas,” he said. “With Johnson Space Center in Houston and now SpaceX here at Boca Chica, Texas has always been at the frontier. We want our community to be part of that story, not just watching from the sidelines.”
–Sophia Cortez contributed to this story.
Editor’s note: The reporter who wrote this story is a member of STARS, which is mentioned in the article. To prevent a conflict of interest, another staff member conducted the interview.
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