Who We Are

Apollo astronauts Russell Schwieckert (left) and James Lovell received geologic training at Meteor Crater, east of Flagstaff.

The Early Years

The Flagstaff Science Campus was established in 1963 to provide geologic information about the Moon and to help train astronauts scheduled for flights to the Moon. Flagstaff was chosen for these activities because it has excellent atmospheric conditions for observing the Moon telescopically; a telescope was built here specifically to support a USGS program of lunar geologic mapping. In addition, topographic maps of the Moon were already being made at Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff. Another important factor was Flagstaff's location in the midst of well-exposed volcanic craters (and one impact crater), which provide a natural laboratory for the field studies of terrains analogous to the surface of the Moon.

To learn more about the history of the early history of the Flagstaff Science Campus, visit The History of the USGS Astrogeology Research Program

Next: 80's and 90's