Grades 8-12. This project describes to students the great hurdle in the Hale Telescope’s construction: successfully transporting the 40-ton, 200-inch mirror and its packing materials from upstate New York to the top of Palomar Mountain in southern California. Documents include shipping manifests, conversations regarding the movement of the mirror, and photographic documentation of the mirror’s journey up Palomar Mountain. These sources can be used for inquiry-based learning exercises.
Archival Education
From Dream to Reality: Building the Hale Telescope Primary Source STEAM Workshop
Explore Further
Science & Innovation
Building the Hale Telescope
A 20-year-long project, funded by Rockefeller philanthropies, took technologies enabling astronomy to an unprecedented scale.
Archival Education
The Cold War
High school to graduate levels. This workshop places students into the role of program officers during the 1940s and 1950s. Drawing on twenty-two records from the Rockefeller Archive Center collections, the project explores philanthropic activities during a period of ideological and geopolitical tensions. View this resource on OER Commons.
Archival Education
Experimentation and Innovation: Building the Hale Telescope
High school to graduate levels. The primary sources in this workshop can be used to strengthen critical reading skills, support inquiry-based learning exercises, and expose students to the stories of trial and error that lie behind most scientific or engineering breakthroughs. View this resource on OER Commons.