Astronomer in Residence: Kevin Schindler

Kevin Schindler is the historian and Public Information Officer at Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona, where he has worked for 28 years. He shares Lowell’s long history of research and exploration through writing and public presentations and contributes articles for a variety of publications on subjects ranging from space and exploration to local history. Schindler contributes a bi-weekly astronomy column, “View from Mars Hill,” for the Arizona Daily Sun newspaper and has authored seven books, including Images of America: Northern Arizona Space Training, which features a chapter about the Grand Canyon. Fun fact: Kevin has both a fossil crab and asteroid named after him!

As Lowell Observatory’s Historian for over two decades, Kevin Schindler was selected as Grand Canyon’s Astronomer in Residence for his extraordinary record of unveiling the history of astronomy in the Grand Canyon region. His residency focused on researching and sharing NASA’s Apollo Astronauts’ connections with the region in preparation for their historic missions to the Moon. 

During his residency, Schindler continued his research on the Apollo astronaut training in Grand Canyon, studying historic images to determine their locations in the canyon and taking modern photos from the same locations. He hosted several public programs that enhanced our visitor's understanding of the Grand Canyon's importance in the history of space exploration. 

Kevin educating students at Grand Canyon School.

Dark Sky Ranger Rader Lane and Kevin Schindler discuss the Astronomer in Residence program on Lowell Observatory's Star Stuff Podcast.