AFRL’s Aloha Telescope celebrates 10-year anniversary empowering students through outreach – afmc.af.mil

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From left: Dr. Shadi Naderi, Air Force Research Laboratory research scientist and STEM technical lead; Capt. Charles Schramka, Air Force Research Laboratory research scientist; Scott Hunt, technical director for the Air Force Supercomputing and Optical Maui site; and Maj. Keegan McCoy, research flight commander for 15th Space Surveillance Squadron and branch chief for AFRL’s Directed Energy Directorate, stand in front of the Aloha telescope in commemoration of the outreach program’s 10-year anniversary, March 29, 2024.The astronomy outreach program has reached 6,000 students and 175 teachers over the last two years with the capability to view the moon and other objects in space. (U.S. Air Force photo / Shadi Naderi)

Aloha Explorations uses an 11-inch Celestron telescope, also known as the Aloha Telescope, to provide students in grades K-12 the ability to view live images from their classrooms and remotely control the telescope via an internet connection. Most of the telescopes at the AMOS site are positioned at 10,000 feet on the summit of the dormant volcano Haleakala and are used for research and development for space domain awareness. The smaller outreach telescope is much more convenient for the students in Maui to access and learn more about astronomy. (U.S. Air Force photo / Shadi Naderi)
At the Air Force Maui Optical and Supercomputing site located at Kihei, Maui, Hawaii, the 11-inch diameter telescope in its clam-shell dome donated for science, technology, engineering and math outreach. From the annual conference, a team of volunteer scientists, some from NASA and some from AFRL, physically lift the dome for transport to the dedicated AFRL site. (U.S. Air Force photo / Shadi Naderi)
A live image from AllSkyImage, the software used for the Aloha Telescope showing clear skies over Kihei, Maui, Hawaii, May 5, 2017. The telescope in Maui was accessed during school hours to allow Georgia teachers and students the opportunity to experience real-time views of the night sky right from their classrooms during the daytime via internet connection. (Courtesy photo / James Sowell)
Representatives from AFRL, Georgia Tech, University of Hawaii, Schafer, Boeing and volunteer scientists gather around the Aloha Explorations outreach telescope for an opening ceremony and dedication of at the AFRL Air Force Maui Optical and Supercomputing site, August 6, 2013. From the annual conference, a team of volunteer scientists, some from NASA and some from AFRL, physically lift the dome for transport to the dedicated AFRL site. (Courtesy photo / James Sowell)
A map of Georgia showcases the Aloha Explorations outreach program’s participation across the state through June 30, 2023. The astronomy outreach program has reached thousands of students and teachers and continues to connect students with STEM opportunities. (Courtesy illustration / James Sowell)
Students at Lanier middle school in Sugar Hill, Georgia, view the Aloha telescope dome in their cafeteria during school hours. The STEM outreach project involving the Air Force Research Laboratory, the Georgia Institute of Technology and the University of Hawaii encourages grade school- to university-level students to learn more about astronomy and explore the different career paths science, technology, engineering and math has to offer. (Courtesy photo / James Sowell)

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