News Release

Release Date: June 4, 2003
Contact: Ganesh Ganpat, Executive Director, (806) 355-9547 ext. 24
g.ganpat@dhdc.org

Discovery Center Space Theater Renovation
On Time and On Budget

AMARILLO, TX, June 4, 2003 -- The Don Harrington Discovery Center renovation of the Space Theater is on time with the projected reopening of July 26, 2003. The museum also announced today that the project is within the $1.2 million funded by the Sybil B. Harrington Trust.

The entire project is a major overhaul of the old planetarium system. It involves removal of the existing planetarium system, special effect projectors, slide and video projectors. The electrical, sound and lighting system will be updated. The theater will have a new dome surface suited for high impact presentations. The theater will use the world’s ultimate digital theater system called Digistar 3. Amarillo will be the fifth installation in the world of the Digistar 3. The Digistar 3 uses six high-definition video projectors as the base of the dome to display a larger-than-life seamless image. The theater will add fifteen additional seats for a total capacity of 94.

The Discovery Center is expected to announce its first year of shows in early July. The museum is currently in production of the opening presentation, which will demonstrate some of the systems capabilities.

The museum is a private, not-for-profit organization that makes science exciting, relevant and interesting to all types of learners by providing interactive exhibits and programs that actively engage children, adolescents and their families. It fosters inquiring minds and nurtures the individual genius that is within each of us.