VIERS To Celebrate 45th Anniversary of Project Tektite I on March 29

 

UVI’s Virgin Islands Environmental Resources Station (VIERS) will host a celebration of the 45th anniversary of Project Tektite I, which established an ambitious underwater habitat research project for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in the spring of 1969 on St. John. The celebration is planned for 10 a.m. on Saturday, March 29, by the St. John Historical Society and Clean Islands International, which operates VIERS for UVI.

The celebration will feature a short historic film about Tektite I, donated by Tektite Program Manager James Miller. A panel of original Tektite aquanauts, who used the underwater habitat to study living conditions similar to what future NASA astronauts would encounter in space, will also be present. The four – John VanDerwalker, Ed Clifton, Ian Koblick and Gary Davis – will share recollections about their roles in this historic scientific project.

Public tours of the Tektite Underwater Habitat Museum at VIERS will also be offered. Recent museum additions include updated artifact displays, a miniature model of the interior of the underwater habitat, and life-size replicas of the habitat’s control room and living quarters.

Persons planning to attend the celebration are asked to RSVP with VIERS Manager Tony Blackwell by calling (340) 776-6721 or sending e-mail to tony@viers.org. For details contact Randy Brown via e-mail at randybrown@islands.org or call (410) 647-2500.