THE SCOBEE PLANETARIUM AT SAN ANTONIO COLLEGE

Natives Americans that lived in the San Antonio area would certainly have been amazed if they could be here today to view the sky through the Planetarium's observatory telescope. San Antonio is fortunate to be the location for the most interesting historical happenings that occurred hundreds of years ago to the advancement of the most scientific technological inventions. This one invention is called the Scobee Planetarium.

The Scobee Planetarium in San Antonio Texas, is located at the center of the San Antonio College. The Planetarium's exact location is at the corner of San Pedro Avenue onto West Park Avenue turning onto the campus of the college. You will notice the gray silver dome shape building which is the Planetarium.


The Planetarium serves as an educational resource for all ages of students from elementary to college level. The Planetarium opened it doors in 1961 only to the college students attending class at San Antonio College. It serves students as a form of education to study astronomy, the universe and the stars. Elementary and junior high science students can attend field trips to the Planetarium Mondays through Thursdays at 10:30am and 12:30pm only due to construction on campus for the Fall 2007.

The Planetarium has different programs available to the students based on the age group attending. Due to the construction on campus teachers and students must arrive by the school bus. Private parking will not be available during the day. The fee for the students attending the Planetarium is one dollar and free admission for the teachers and three dollars for the adult chaperone.


As years past, the Planetarium opened its doors to the city of San Antonio and to the rest of the public. The Planetarium has served over a million and a half of visitors since opening in 1961. In 1994, the Planetarium changed it's name to the Scobee Planetarium, in honor of the late Francis (Dick) Scobee who was killed on January 28,1986 Changeller. Astronaut Scobee attended San Antonio College and received his bachelor of science degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Arizona in 1965.

The Scobee Planetarium is open to the public only on Friday evenings. The doors open twenty minutes before the show begins and that is when you can purchase your tickets at the door. It is first come, first served at the Planetarium. There are no reservations taken. The fee for the public shows varies by age, children's ages four years through seventeen years is one dollar, adults ages eighteen and above is three dollars, and for senior citizens ages fifty-five and older is two dollars. College students and the faculty or staff from ACCD are admitted free with a current school ID. You can purchase your tickets with cash only. No credit cards are accepted.

My experience going to the Planetarium as a child versus as an adult were two different experiences. The Planetarium as a child was just another field trip. As a child I really didn't understand what the Planetarium stood for. It was a place where students would go and see a show about the stars and planets. Going to the Planetarium as an adult was a different experience. The Planetarium now looks smaller inside. The Planetarium looked bigger as a child. Going to the Planetarium as an adult I understood what was being explained during the shows. I now have a better understanding of what the Planetarium means. It is located at
the center of San Antonio College. As a child growing up I thought it was near the Witte
Museum. The Planetarium has shows opened to the public. The two programs I went to see on Friday night were "Wonders of the night" and "tis The Season". The two programs are running
from now to December 14, 2007. The Planetarium will be closed during the college holidays and open back up in January, 2008 when class start for the Spring. When you first arrive at the Planetarium you will walk thought a dark hall way. That is where you can see the different pictures of the stars, planets and constellations. There is a video of live shots on the planet Mars. When you walk thought the hall, you will come to the inside of the dome.

That is where the shows are seen. When everyone is seated that is when Bob Kelley the Planetarium's Educational Specialist explains the rules before the show. During the show you are to turn off your cell phone or pagers so that their are no interruptions. When the show starts
you are seating in your seat and it begins to get darker. Bob explains that it is now at sunset
and the sun has set. You will notice that the stars have come out and the moon has risen. That is
when the first show begins. The first show I saw was about the night sky. It talked about the
all of the planets and constellations. The show also mentions that Earth and Mars were two
planets that one once had water, and one has water. The other show was about the season of
Christmas. It explained about the different cultures of the world.

It also explains the star of Bethlehem. When you enter the Planetarium you will notice the
projector. That is what makes the shows happen, it stands ten feet tall. On Friday nights after
the shows you can go outside behind the Planetarium where you can view the telescope. The
first telescope served for thirty-one years before being replaced with the new one. The
telescope stands at eleven feet tall ad weighs seventy-five pounds. The Observatory is open to
the public on Fridays where you can view the planets and stars of the universe.

In conclusion, teachers that want to take their students for a field trip to learn more about the
stars and planets, or for the college students taking class about the universe and finally for the
general public who just want to relax and see the shows on Friday nights. The Planetarium is
the perfect place for them to visit. The Planetarium is a interesting place to learn about the our
planet and universe. It is also a place you can view the stars on a clear night after the show is
over outside the Planetarium.

Conjunto Music

Conjunto music started in Northern Mexico and spread later into South Texas. The video Songs of the Homeland, helped me better understand the culture and traditions of the conjunto music.
You can't help but listen to conjunto music now called Tejano music in South Texas. It may seem like it has changed with the time of the old conjunto or tejano music. The language may sound the same, but the rhythms and beat may have changed a little.

Songs of the Homeland describes how conjunto and tejano music were a way of life to many of the Mexican-American people. To the Mexican cowboys it was a way to get thought the day listening to the music as they worked the long and hard hours on the ranches of South Texas.
It was their music they could relate to and understand as they worked or in the evening sat around listening to the music.

One of the most popular singer's during the 1920's-1940's was a lady by the name of Lydia Mendoza. She was known to many as the singer of the poor. As the years passed by conjunto music has changed into what we call tejano music. During the 1950's tejano music changed with the times bringing in the brass horns and keeping the sound of the accordion in. Later on into the tejano music singers like Freddy Fender and Gary Hobbs, Selena made tejano music popular not only to the Mexican-American listener but to the different ethnic groups that have the same sounds from the accordions and other instruments.

As I watched the video Songs of the Homeland it took me back in the day when I was in high school and my friends and I would sit around and listen to tejano music. I remember enjoying the different sounds and how the singer would get into singing the song emotional.

In conclusion, conjunto or tejano music may have changed a little in the way that the song is being played, but the culture and traditions will be carried on for many more generations to come.

My visit to Mitchell Lake

On Saturday October 27, 2007, I drove to up to Mitchell Lake.
Mitchell Lake is located on the southside of San Antonio. Just one
mile off of Loop 410 on the left hand side of the road you will see
the front gate. When you drive up to the gate there is a sign above that reads Mitchell Lake Wetlands, so you know that you are in the right place. From the gate you can not see the lake.


When you drive through the gates, on the left hand side you will see the 1910 restored house that is where the Audubon Visitors Center is located. At this location you pay your fee to take a tour of Mitchell Lake and the Bird's Pond. Inside the Visitor's Center you can see different pictures of the lake and different species of wildlife. Volunteers are available to help answer any questions that you may have. They also have small classrooms where they give seminars on some of the weekends.


The lake covers around 1,200 acres all together. The land is owned by San Antonio Water System (SAWS) and the lake is managed by Audubon, a state program that has been in service more than 100 years.


The Visitor's Center provides a map of the area. You will drive on a 10mph road which will lead you down to the lake. That is where parking is available. At this location you can walk down to the lake. When I drove down to the lake I didn't see any birds or wildlife at the time of my visit. That day was beautiful and the weather was clear. There were several groups at the lake helping clean up around the area. The lake itself looked green and the area surrounding the lake was very grown up with weeds and grass that needed cleaning.


In conclusion, Mitchell Lake is a place you can go and enjoy the outdoors, like bird watching and looking at all the different types of plants. It is also a place you can go and help the environment. It is a peaceful place to be in tune with nature.

My Hood "The Oldest Polish Settlement"

My hood is located sixty miles southeast of San Antonio
six miles north of Karnes City just one mile off of State
Highway 123 on to Farm Market Road 81. My house is
located one mile from the community of Panna Maria on
County Road 247. Looking south, you will see our place
that runs next to the San Antonio River.


There are only about four families that live in my neighborhood.
My neighbors are upper class to middle class families,they are
hard working people that are up by 5:30am and work till dark.
Two families are retired from work, but they still enjoy working
around their homes. I have one lady that is a grandmother
and is up early in the morning getting ready to start her day
by going to church. Myself and one other couple that have
two children are the ones that go to work and school during
the day and are at home in evening. The ethnic group in
Panna Maria is 95% Polish and 5% other.


In my hood the Catholic Church is what the tourists come
from all over the world to see. The church has been here
for about 150 years. It is the second church built from
the time that the polish settlers arrived from Poland.
In my town we also have the Bed and Breakfast that once
was where the nuns of Panna Maria lived. It is located behind
the church. Next to the Bed and Breakfast is the Panna Maria museum that was the first Polish private school built, in the United States. Across from the church is the visitors center that
is run by the retired little Polish ladies of Panna Maria.
You can go by when it is open and look around and
purchase books about the Polish Americans.


My hood is a peaceful place to live. It is located away
from the big city of San Antonio and we have light traffic.
I don't have to worry about my two year old daughter
running out into a busy highway or street. The downside
about where my hood is it takes 15 minutes to get to
the store just to get a gallon of milk or bread, but that
is the price you pay to live in a peaceful place like Panna Maria.


It takes me about 45 minutes to one hour to get
from Panna Maria to Palo Alto College. I take
off from FM81 to Hwy 123 and turn left back on to
Fm 81 towards Hobson. From Hobson, I turn right
on to Hwy181 north and drive towards Floresville, about 18
miles and pass Floresville heading north to
I-37. From there, I exit on to Loop 410 and drive 10 miles
west to Palo Alto College. When students or teachers
ask where I am from, they are surprised to find that I
drive so far to come to school. My drive to school and back home
gives me a chance to think about my day or what I have to plan for the week. It is my alone time.

I have a good friend that lives 4 miles from my hood.
We go shopping together and hang out at the local dances.
Here lately, we have been busy with work or school and
haven't spent much time together. It is usually around the
holidays that we go to the dances.


My hood is a peaceful place I can get my rest on the
weekends and not worry about driving to San Antonio.
It is also a place that I would like to spend more time
at home and visit with my neighbors. I love my hood
in the oldest Polish settlement in the United States.

Tour of the Alamo

Our tour of the Alamo was most informative since we had an in-depth presentation. Dr. Winders gave us information that was new to me. I toured the Alamo once by myself before but did not have a historian such as Dr. Winders give such interesting facts. Some interesting insight I gained from the tour of the Alamo included the different occupants, the building structure and the immigration of people from the United States.

I was fascinated by the fact that Dr. Winders talked about the different occupants of the Alamo.

This information was new to me since all I ever associated the Alamo with was the battle with Santa Anna and his Mexican Army. When Dr.Winders first spoke of the different occupants, I wondered how the first builders of the mission would have reacted to all the events that history has bestowed upon this historical site. The focus changed from colonization to Texas Independence and a series of other uses. It was new information to me that this historical site occupied the United States Army and also was a mercantile. The interesting fact the state, city, federal and presently a private organization have all had part in the Alamo.

Dr. Winders gave us lots of informative facts on the structure of the Alamo. I always associated the entire site as just the church part of the mission. When he explained how the United State Army completed the church by adding on the roof, I realized I need to look a little closer at these old historical sites when I'm touring them. What most fascinated me was his explanation of the real size of the mission. I never associated the outside low rock structures that are located in front of the church as part of the mission.

The immigration of people into Texas from the United States also made a connection to this historical site. During this period, Santa Anna realized too many Anglos were entering his territory and he placed restrictions if they were to live here. He soon realized that they were not abiding by these rules which lead to a battle.

In conclusion, my tour of the Alamo left me with a better understanding of historical events that happened at the Alamo. Now, when I view the movies of the Alamo I will hopefully be able to compare and contrast movies or critique them to the facts I learned from Dr. Winders.

Water The Most Precious Gift Of Life

Espada Dam, the oldest functioning aqueduct

in the United States is certainly an impressing

site to visit. Thanks to the Romans, for bringing
this idea of water distribution to Spain who in
turn brought it to the New World. The Espada
Dam's design, it's purpose, and its present day
impact on San Antonio would have never
occurred without the San Antonio River.

On my way to the Espada Dam I first stopped to see the Espada Aqueduct. My first impression of it looked like someone had built a bridge over the small creek below. As I got a little closer to see it I was amazed after so many years water continues to still flow nearby the mission.

My next stop was to the what I like to call the new Espada Dam. The new dam is designed to
hold lots of water back in order to prevent flooding. There is a small bridge just below the dam
where when it has no water over it you can cross the river to see where the old Espada
Dam is located. The new dam is much bigger and is made of cement. The old dam is constructed
with huge native rock. It amazes me how the Native Americans carried these huge rocks to the
location of Espada Dam.

Long ago, the Espada Dam served many purposes. Spaniards and Native Americans used the
San Antonio River and Dam for drinking water, fishing and washing clothes. Another very
important purpose was to irrigate hundreds of acres of crop farming during drought seasons.
The families that live nearby the Mission Espada today can still use the aqueduct for
irrigating the crops. As I was driving by I also saw a residence using the aqueduct to water their
flowers surrounding a statue of the Virgin Mary.

The Mission Espada Dam in San Antonio would never have happened if it was not for the San
Antonio River. The historical impact on San Antonio has caused tremendous tourist
attractions. As the Spaniards and Native Americans were building the mission and preparing
the water system, they most likely did not envision a huge city to develop one day.

In conclusion, the old and new Espada Dams are located along the San Antonio River at
Espada Park just off of Southwest Military Drive. These dam's design, purpose and impact on
San Antonio has served as a survival resource to the Spaniards and Native Americans. The dam
presently continues to serve Native San Antonians as a resource along as a tourist attractions to hundreds of people coming to visit the mission.

My visit to Mission Espada

My visit to the San Antonio mission opened my vision to different level. I felt like I stepped back into time. My experience helped me understand or appreciate my religion, my history, and the reason of these missions. Since I arrived earlier to the mission than my class I went ahead and walked around by myself. Being of Catholic faith I spotted the church and was anxious to see the inside. As I entered the church I instantly experienced a calmness and spiritual sensation. The incense of the candles burning gave me a peaceful feeling. At the same time I could almost visualize the native Americans and the Spaniards staring at me wondering what I was doing there. I also began making a comparison with the Catholic Church that I attend in Panna Maria that has historical importance. The mission church took me even further back in time than the church in Panna Maria, that is in the location of the oldest Polish settlement in the nation. I saw all the similarities such as the statue, candles, and holy water. Historically I instantly tried to imagine how native Americans must have felt to attend church services here. Knowing that the native Americans had a completely different religious belief, I could not even imagine how they attended or participated in a christian church service. Also I was visiting the mission I began to realize the importance of the location of the mission. The San Antonio river was a important resource for water.

My parent's home is located near the San Antonio river where we found native American artifacts. Now when I find a arrow head on my parent's place I will wonder if perhaps these people were forced to work for the Spaniards. This experience has opened my thinking on a wider and different perspective. I am beginning to think perhaps as a historian. I am now asking myself and wanting to know why and how certain events occurred.