Our Mission
Cascade Astronomy & Rocketry Academy's (CARA) mission as a non-profit educational organization is to bring the sights and science of the cosmos to schools and the wider community through astronomy, rocketry, and science education.
School Astronomy Programs in Central Oregon, Grades K-8
$6,000
Our goal for the 2023/2024 academic year is to bring astronomy education programs to the classrooms. We currently offer four different programs for teachers to choose from. This includes programs on the solar system, space exploration and viewing opportunities to view the night sky and solar viewing during the day.
Rocketry Programs for High School and College Teams
$4,000
Our objective is to help teams throughout the Northwest to be able to compete in a wide variety of rocketry competitions, including national and international levels. This includes programs offered through The American Rocketry Challenge (TARC) and NASA/JPL.
Students will apply for grants which will be awarded based on their applications and approved by CARA’s board of directors.
Meteorites for Education Programming
$5,000
We are working on obtaining a variety of meteorites that can be used for educational and public programs. Learning about these remnants of the early creation of the solar system has always been important and offers a tangible “wow” factor to educational programs.
Solar Education Equipment and Program Materials
$25,000
This is a fundraising for solar viewing equipment and is part of our long term goal of offering state of the art specialized equipment that can be taken into schools and public venues to allow for safe viewing of the Sun. CARA will be the leader in the Northwest to offer solar viewing programs.
Telescope Enhancement Campaign
$7,000
We are looking to add three large telescopes for our public and future building of the Cascade Observatory. This includes an 18”, a 16” and a 14” reflector telescopes. Our friends have come forward with some very high-end instruments for us to add for our educational programing. Very excited for this opportunity to obtain these fine instruments.
IN THE CLASSROOM
Space Science Education helps us understand the universe and our place in it.
- Inspires innovation and creativity.
- Helps us solve global problems.
- Prepares students for the future.
Astronomy and rocketry in the classroom promotes STEM education, and can inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers.