With the deadline of the fundraising campaign approaching, the Friends of Arlington's David M. Brown Planetarium have been making an all out, last ditch effort to hit the goal set in April 2010 by Dr. Patrick Murphy, Superintendent of Arlington Public Schools (APS).

An online 10-day challenge to raise $25,000 was met with enthusiastic response - with over 200 people contributing $25,167.

In addition, a donor in Northern Virginia, who has chosen to remain anonymous, brought the campaign to a dramatic and successful conclusion with a grant of $50,000, deposited directly to the Friends bank account.

In the most recent count, over 3,500 individuals, businesses, and foundations have contributed over $435,000, far surpassing the goal of $402,800, and meeting the deadline for saving Arlington's planetarium.

The additional funds will go to excellent use, now that the survival of the planetarium is assured. The amount required by Dr. Murphy, $402,800, was the estimated cost of replacing the star projector with a state-of-the-art digital planetarium projector, replacing the seats, updating the lighting system, and repairing the interior of the dome.

The estimate was based on a 2009 study led by George Mason University professor, Dr. Harold Geller. It is entirely possible that the costs of these items will have changed in the two years since the study was completed.

The Friends of Arlington's Planetarium will continue to provide support, advocacy, and advice to APS in the future, to make sure the planetarium remains up-to-date, available to the community and schools alike, and fully integrated into the APS science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) curriculum.